The Princess and the Sparrow
by Webdog177
Summary: *Updated 1/19/14* Nine years after graduating from Lillian and breaking up with Sachiko, Yumi meets someone that completely shakes up her carefully reconstructed life. Can she get over her past and look to the future? Or will the shadow from her memories stop her from moving forward?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. I own nothing but my own thoughts. Which is dangerous sometimes... *Dun dun DUN!*

A/N: A word about this: This story takes place a full 8-9 years AFTER the Yamayurikai crew have graduated Lillian. So, Yumi is 27, and assorted characters are their respective ages nine years after MariMite.

Hope you enjoy the first chapter!

**The Princess and the Sparrow**

**Chapter 1**

0 - 0 - 0

**Part 1**

"Thank you for waiting. Here is your order." The young-looking girl in a barista uniform said with a smile, handing a paper cup full of dark steaming liquid out to be picked up. Yumi Fukuzawa stepped up to the counter and retrieved the drink, matching the younger girl's smile.

"Thank you very much." Yumi said and backed away from the pick-up counter, making room for an older man to pick up the pair of matching drinks he had ordered.

Making her way towards the corner of the café she frequented at least a few times a week, Yumi set her briefcase, purse, and coffee on the table and slid down into one of the plushy, cream-colored booths alongside the table surface. After making sure she was comfortably settled, she clasped one hand around the warm paper cup, letting the heat seep into her chilled fingers. With her other hand, she retrieved her mobile phone from her coat pocket.

"Now," She mumbled to herself as she keyed the phone to life. "Who texted me?" The clear, brightly colored screen flicked from one background to another as Yumi brought up her messages. There weren't all that many. A few from Yoshino Shimazu, her best friend from Lillian Academy for Women when they both attended there; a handful of messages from Yoshino's cousin, Rei Hasekawa; and one from Shimako Toudou, another friend from school. Finally, at the top of the list, there was a long thread of messages from Touko Matsudaira. Even after a full nine years after graduating high school, Yumi and her old student council friends were still as close as always.

Yumi flicked the screen up to new messages and screwed her face in slight annoyance. "Yuuki…" She sighed. Her brother never really had anything interesting to say when they talked. When he did send her messages or call her, it was usually about business of some sort. _At least,_ she thought ruefully, _it was presumably business related...if his writing ever improved._ Expanding the message, Yumi shook her head in amusement as she realized she had been correct in her thinking.

_Yumi,_

_Anuther clint wnts 2 hve meating about new desine skeem. Lemme no when iz a gud time 2 schedul sumethin._

_Yuuki_

"Yumi…" She read off from the message, trying to decipher what her brother was really saying. "Another client wants to have a meeting about the new design scheme. Let me know when is a good time to schedule something." Blinking a few times as she read off the small screen, Yumi couldn't help but sigh in irritation.

Honestly, how old was he?

Her brother's texts were always horrible in grammar, spelling and full of contractions. Not only that, it was clearly done on purpose. Luckily though, he knew better than to do that for business emails or with clients. Only with Yumi did he email like that. She didn't know whether to feel pleased or annoyed. Annoyed, most likely.

Hovering her thumb over the reply toggle, Yumi pursed her lips in thought. She _could_ reply her brother now. But with her nice, hot coffee threatening to cool down and ruin the rest of her day…

She shook her head and keyed off her phone, shoving it back into her coat pocket. Yuuki-baka could keep for another hour, couldn't he?

With a long sigh, Yumi leaned back in her booth and cradled her other hand around her cup. She lifted it to her lips and took a tentative sip. It was scalding; but on a cold day in the middle of January, it was well worth the near-burn she had just now suffered. "I like coffee, I like tea…" She sang softly to herself as she let the steam fog up the lenses of her glasses. "I want coffee to sleep with me."

Stifling a laugh at her own impromptu song, Yumi cast her eyes around the café, taking in the quiet atmosphere of the small restaurant. She had first visited the establishment more than a year ago, and while the employees and regulars changed on occasion, she still liked to spend a few hours there a week. What with her 'busy' daily life, it was all she could do to relax every other day nursing a coffee… some tea and cakes… or sometimes a sandwich as she watched the fuzzy outlines of snow lazily fall outside through the frosted windows.

She had been lucky to stumble across this particular spot. On a day not much more than a year ago, she had been meandering around aimlessly on an equally cold day. As she rounded a corner, the small, yet attractively-designed building filled her vision. At once, Yumi's architect senses tingled, and she knew it was love at first sight. The fact that Yumi found the café visually pleasing beckoned her to enter, and the friendly, intimate feeling of the business let her come again.

At first, she had considered bringing her friends with her to the café. She knew Yoshino and Shimako, and Rei in particular with the girl's love of cute things and small eateries would have loved the place. But something told Yumi to keep the knowledge of the café to herself and herself alone. It would be her place of peace and quiet. A place where no matter how bad things got in her life, she would be able to relax and think.

No matter how bad things got…

Yumi pursed her lips and shook her head. No. She wouldn't think about that now. She had done exceptionally well the past year, and she was determined to keep it that way.

Taking another sip of coffee, Yumi slid off her glasses and, setting them softly on the table, let her eyes drift out towards the window beside her. She couldn't see outside of it, of course… not with the huge difference in temperatures fogging up the glass. Instead, she let her eyes focus on the condensation building up on her side of the window. To her eyes it looked as though she were staring into thick, white clouds.

Truth be told, her eyes were not all that bad. At twenty-seven years old, Yumi was proud to say that her eyesight was better than the majority of the Japanese people. But, considering she was an architect, and she spent the majority of her working hours hunched over a drafting table staring at lines and small measurements, eyeglasses sort of came with the territory.

Slowly, Yumi reached out with her index finger and pressed it to the cold, frosty glass of the window. In a simple motion, she drew a line in the moisture on the glass surface. Pursing her lips, she drew another line, intersecting the first. Then she drew another. And then another. And another. Soon, a solid picture began to take shape in the window, forming the outline of a simple one-story building. Her first line had already begun to fade away as she returned her hand to the warmth of her coffee cup.

Yumi allowed herself a small smile, watching her spontaneous creation fade away into the moisture on the window. If she were to meet herself as a teenager, she would have not really expected that she would have become an architect, as her father was. As a girl, she had never really given any thought to what she would do or what she would be. She simply 'was'.

Yumi's teen years in Lillian Academy for Women, middle school and high school divisions both, had been much the same. She didn't really know what she wanted to do or even what she was good at. Remembering one time as a second year high school student, she told a room full of first year girls that she was most proud of her 'average-ness'. Now that she was older, she couldn't help but laugh at that instance.

Actually, those three years spent in Lillian high school division had been perhaps one of the most influential times of her life. She had met her friends there. Yoshino… Shimako… Rei… Touko… She had joined the student council there; become the student council president in her third year alongside those friends. She had spent many fun and memory-filled days there.

She had also met _her_ there.

Not able to keep the shiver that crept up her spine at the thought, Yumi clenched her coffee cup tightly in her hands, though not tightly enough as to spill her still-hot drink. Determined as she was to avoid that particular line of thought, memories of Lillian were most assuredly going to dredge it up from the depths of her mind.

Nevertheless, her rose-colored days in high school had to end sometime. In the wake of her youth ending, her future loomed ever-more closely in her steps. What would she do? What kind of person would she come to be? All of these things Yumi had never thought about prior to graduating. When it had finally dawned on her that she was pushed into the deep end of life and forced to paddle for herself, it was almost too much for her to take.

In the end, it had been because of her friends and family she had persevered and decided to go to school for architectural design. Forgoing the choice of Lillian University for her studies, Yumi chose a school at her friends' and father's suggestion. It had been hard; those years in university. While the coursework itself was simple enough, the act of 'being' was the difficult part.

After all that had happened after high school and during university, Yumi was shocked that she even survived it all to. No. Shocked wasn't the right word. _Thankfu_l was more appropriate. Thankful for everyone that stood by her and didn't abandon her in her darkest moments.

Lifting up her cup of coffee for a drink, Yumi put her mouth on the lip of the drink and tilted her head back-

Only to find that no coffee was left.

Blinking rapidly for a long moment, she stared at her drained cup, a somewhat familiar feeling of unease creeping through her mind. Obviously, she had finished her drink while thinking of times past. The taste of French Roast in her mouth was evidence enough. But the fact that she couldn't remember drinking any of it was eerie in and of itself.

"Again, huh?" She mumbled to herself softly. It wasn't the first time that had happened, and it wouldn't be the last. She would have to let Touko know later.

Pushing herself to her feet, Yumi picked up her purse and briefcase. After putting her glasses back on and making sure her used cup was properly disposed of in the garbage, Yumi took one last look around the small café. There were a few people by themselves; reading, typing away on a computer… a few couples chatting quietly amongst themselves… no one took more than a second glance as Yumi walked towards the front door.

As she opened and closed the door behind her, a small flurry of wind and snow blew in, emitting a cheery jingle from the pair of bells tied to the knob.

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 2**

Yumi heard her phone buzzing lightly on her dresser as she stepped out of her attached bathroom, a light blue towel wrapped around her body and another around her head. Turning towards the dull rattling sound, she walked over to the blinking phone. She peered down at the display while moving the towel around her head in random directions. It would dry quickly, and at the same time give her hair a good tousle.

What did she care if her hair was a mess? She was home for the night anyway.

The name 'Touko Matsudaira' appeared on her phone's display, along with the accompanying number and area code. Yumi shot a glace up at her wall clock, more out of habit than any real need. She vaguely knew what time it was; Touko made it a point to call Yumi around eight thirty most nights. Tonight, she was making the call at eight thirty-seven.

After weighing the decision to pick up the call or continue to dry herself off, Yumi decided on the latter. She knew Touko would be more understanding than her brother had been earlier that day. Yumi had ended up returning his message a full three hours after he had sent it. He had been quite put out, much to Yumi's bemusement.

Serves him right for using such horrible Japanese in his messages.

After making sure her light brown hair was at least partially dry, Yumi tossed her head-towel onto her bed and picked up her phone. She walked over to the edge of the bed and sat down, keying her now-darkened phone back to life. It was now eight forty-two; a good time to call back Touko.

Yumi tapped the screen of her phone and pressed it to her ear. As she listened to the quiet dial tone, Yumi took a fleeting glance around her room. Her bed, her dresser, a portable drafting table (the larger one was located in her home office), the door to the bathroom and the door into the hallway… aside from a few other assorted furnishings and some clothing scattered around, the room was perfectly bare and practical. The only things that really stood out where a collection of photographs on a bulletin board above her bed.

The photos were assorted pictures of herself, her family and her friends, all in different locations and times. There was a large amount, but it was almost expected of someone like Yumi, who liked to collect pictures of family and friends.

Just as she was considering if her room was actually missing anything, a familiar voice took the place of the ringing in Yumi's ear.

"This is Touko Matsudaira. Who may I ask is calling?"

Yumi smiled to herself at Touko's voice. The young woman knew exactly who was calling. For all her prim properness, the girl loved to be coy. "Hello Touko. It's Yumi."

"Ah. Good evening, Onee-sama. How are you feeling?"

"Very well, thank you." Yumi replied truthfully. Hearing her 'little sister's' voice _did_ always lighten her mood. "I'm sorry I didn't pick up before. I was in the shower."

There was a moment of silence. Then- "I assumed so. It's no problem. How has your day been?"

"It was fine. I spent the morning on the new draft. After lunch I went out for a walk. Yuuki wanted to schedule something like a meeting… but then he got all huffy at me calling him back so late." Yumi relayed the details of his message and her response, eliciting a small laugh from Touko.

It all was pretty scripted, Yumi knew, as she told the younger girl more about her afternoon. Touko would call Yumi in the evening and ask what she did that day. She would talk for a while about what she did, and then ask Touko about her's. Touko would then talk for a bit, all while Yumi listened as attentively as she could. It had been going on this way for a couple years, ever since Yumi had graduated university. She knew exactly why Touko wanted to talk with her so often, and that made her all the more thankful to the younger girl.

"Wow… it sounds like you will be busier than ever." Yumi said into her phone. She heard Touko's sigh and imagined the young woman tugging at her bangs in slight annoyance; a habit she had picked up a number of years ago.

"More or less. But that doesn't matter. If you ever need me, Onee-sama, all you need to do is ask. You are more important."

"More important than a hospital full of patients?" Yumi had to resist a disbelieving snort. Touko was still pursuing her double degrees in medicine and psychology, and therefore was not so much a doctor as she was part-custodian to her grandparent's hospital. Touko's family, when she graduated from Lillian, had agreed to let her take over the hospital when she got her medial doctorate. Until then, her grandfather would keep the hospital running and wait for her to finish. Touko attended school full time for a double doctorate as well as work at the hospital, gaining as much experience as she can.

_That and take care of me in her off hours…_ The thought sent Yumi's mind into a darker place. As quickly as it had happened, though, Touko's voice cut through the fog of her mind like a knife.

"You know the answer to that, Onee-sama." Her voice was quiet, but that didn't make it any less serious. "You know how important you are to me."

"… I know." Yumi said after a long moment. "I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright." She could practically hear Touko shrug. "Well, anything else you want to talk about?" Yumi opened her mouth to say no when another thought occurred to her. She had forgotten about it until just now.

"Actually, yes. I… I blacked out again today."

There was silence on the other line for a few long seconds.

"I see."

"But, it wasn't really a black out. I just kind of… zoned out I guess? I kind of felt like I blacked out, but without the blacking out part." It even sounded silly to Yumi. But Touko's voice came back as serious as ever.

"I think I understand. What were you doing at the time?"

"I was drinking a coffee in-" Yumi hesitated for a moment. Even though Touko was essentially her little sister, Yumi wasn't quite ready to share her special place with her just yet. "-In a coffee house this afternoon. I was thinking, holding a full cup of coffee, and when I realized it, it was all gone. I didn't really remember drinking it all."

"Were… were you thinking about…" Touko trailed off, knowing Yumi would pick up on her meaning.

Touko meant if she were thinking about _her_.

"No… well, not really." Yumi admitted quietly. "I was actually thinking of the old days at Lillian. All of us, you know? So I guess she was there too, yea?"

"I see. Do you want to schedule an appointment with Doctor Kimigura?"

Yumi pursed her lips. She had just seen Emi Kimigura two weeks ago. She usually met with her psychologist once a month, give or take a week. It was just a little soon to visit again.

"No. I think it can wait another week or two. What do you think?"

Touko was silent for a few moments on the other line before answering. "If that is what you think, Onee-sama. But please let me know if anything else happens."

"Of course, Touko." Yumi promised. She could feel the woman's smile, even through her phone. It made her heart feel lighter than it had felt for a while. "I think that's about it, then. Same time tomorrow?"

"If you like, Onee-sama." Touko said lightly. Yumi laughed and shook her head. 'If you like' was actually a private joke between the two women. First started during Yumi's time in university, 'If you like' really meant 'every day, forever'. Being Touko's idea, it had often surprised Yumi how much of a romantic the girl was.

"You know, Touko…" Yumi said. "You are twenty-six years old. We graduated Lillian years ago. You don't have to call me 'Onee-sama' anymore." She knew she was preaching to the choir, but again, Yumi knew what the reply would be.

"Of course I know that, Onee-sama. You tell me often." From the tone of her voice, Yumi could tell that Touko was sporting her trademark smirk. "Have a lovely night."

"Good night, Touko." Yumi said and, with a sigh, keyed off her phone and tossed it on her bed. Taking another look at the clock, she noticed it had just passed nine o'clock. Allowing herself a small smile, Yumi traded her towel for a long t-shirt and panties and made her way to the living room, where her television awaited.

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 3**

"Well, I must admit, I really like what I see, Fukuzawa-san." The man said, nodding appreciatively at the book of samples he just finished looking through. Pushing the book back to Yumi, he leaned back in his chair. "I can see why I was referred to you."

"Thank you very much, Onoga-san." Yuuki lowered his head in a bow beside Yumi, who mirrored her brother's action. "We are extremely pleased that you like our work."

_Our work?_

Yumi felt her eyebrow twitch. Yuuki hadn't picked up a drafting pencil since he graduated. But the client didn't really need to know that. Their father still did a lot, but he was slowly pushing more of the work onto his children in order to prepare for them taking over the Fukuzawa family business. Yuuki mainly concentrated on management and interacting with the clients, whereas Yumi did most of the designing herself. It was fine with her; she and Yuuki were sticking to their strengths. She wasn't really good with people the way Yuuki was.

She liked the isolation of the drafting table. Less time for acting and more time for thinking.

"Can we expect to be working with you, in that case?" Yuuki pressed Onoga politely. The older man scratched his stubble in a contemplative fashion for a few moments, casting his eyes between the two siblings. He 'hummed' to himself while he looked over Yuuki's features, and Yumi had to work to keep her business visage up when the man looked over her own face. After making up his mind, he nodded.

"I think we can expect great things." He said with a wide smile. "I would love my summer home to be designed by the Fukuzawas." With that, everyone stood up and exchanged handshakes.

"Thank you very much, Onoga-san." Yumi and Yuuki said together, causing the man to guffaw heartily.

"Gaha! You two certainly are twins! How excellent!"

After exchanging a few more crucial bits of information and deciding on their next meeting, Onoga bid the Fukuzawa siblings a goodbye and left the restaurant, leaving the pair to finish at their leisure. After a few seconds, Yuuki stretched his arms with a loud sigh.

"That went well! Awesome!" He said, grinning widely. He leaned over and ribbed Yumi, causing her to recoil back on her side of the booth. "Come on! Smile! We got the deal!"

Yumi stuffed her book of samples into her briefcase and took a sip from her glass of iced tea, her face stiff. "I know. I am happy, Yuuki." Even to her own ears, she didn't sound happy. Yuuki raised an eyebrow and frowned back as Yumi.

"Oh, yea. You sound ecstatic." He said sardonically, his smile sliding off his face. "Just wanna go out and jump for joy. Go and shout your joy to the world, right? Happy happy." He picked at his rice with a fork, a suddenly uncomfortable look creeping into his features. After a long moment, he sighed and put down his fork. "Alright, Yumi, I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Really. I am. But Onoga-san is a really important client. We can't just turn him down because of…" He trailed off, waving his hand as if to emphasis his point. What point that was, Yumi could guess.

"You should have given me some kind of warning." She said softly, taking another moment to sip another half-mouthful of tea. "I wasn't really ready for that."

"I know. I'm sorry. I thought… well, I thought if I told you, you would have said no to the deal."

"It would have crossed my mind. But I am not a child, Yuuki. I would not have turned down a client simply because of a silly reason like that." Yumi willed her voice to keep as steady as she could, but it was a near thing.

"I understand. I just thought that because Onoga-san does business with the Ogasawaras, you-" The sound of Yumi slamming her glass on the table stopped Yuuki from finishing his sentence. Instead, he shook his head and sighed. "Shit. I'm sorry. I'll shut up now."

Yumi set her eyes on her brother's, a withering glare straining the muscles in her face. For a long moment, she kept her glare on her brother. But, because she didn't exercise her angry muscles very often, and due to the pitiful face of fake shame her brother was making to make her feel better, she relaxed with a tired smile.

"God, you look so damn pathetic when you're sorry." She said with a snort. She picked up a napkin and slowly dabbled at her hand, now a bit wet from spilt tea. Yuuki seemed to relax his shoulders and grinned back at Yumi.

"You know I look cute, though, right?"

"Just as cute as me, baaaaaaka. We're twins."

"Yea, but I'm the cuter one."

"Whatever." Yumi said, standing up with her bag. "I'm off. Call me later, alright?"

"No problem. I'll call you after I work out the details about the new deal." Yuuki snapped his fingers, suddenly remembering something. "Oh yea. Mom and Dad wanted to have dinner with us this weekend. Touko-san's invited, too. I'll pick you up?"

"Nah. Touko can drive me. See you then." Yumi waved to her brother and exited the restaurant in a brisk walk.

As she left the building and walked out into the cold, mid-January air, Yumi cupped her hands to her face and exhaled a breath of warm air into them. She watched the fog from her breath seep through her fingers and distantly thought if choosing to buy her first home had been a better choice than a car, as her brother opted for. At times like this, when Yumi had to rely on public transportation or her friends and family to transport her in the cold snowy air, she envied those who drove. But, when she got home that evening and could relax in her own home, watching her own television in her underwear, it made it all worth it.

Screw having a car. Her house was so much better.

Watching her bus approach up the road, Yumi fingered her phone in her coat pocket. She had a few good hours of free time, and considered calling someone to fill the gap. As the bus groaned and stopped in front of her, Yumi stepped up into the heated vehicle with thoughts of her friends floating through her mind.

First on her mental list was Yoshino Shimazu. Her best friend would be a perfect companion, even over the phone, to pass the time. That is… if she wasn't working at that particular moment. After graduating Lillian University, the vibrant girl had gone back to their old high school as a new teacher. Quite young to be an instructor of high school students, but her record at school as well as university allowed for some leeway. She spent her days teaching literature, both modern and (what she preferred to go into detail about) classic literature. She loved going on and on about old samurai epics and detective stories with her students, even if those pieces weren't part of the curriculum. She still had plenty of time on the weekends, luckily. She and Yumi often went out to various places during those times.

Next was Shimako Toudou. While not as close to Yumi as Yoshino was, Shimako was still a very good friend to her. Completely surprising everyone, when the girl graduated University she joined a famous law firm. No one ever noticed that the quiet, beautiful, and temple-raised Rosa Gigantea has an interest in law. But, even so, Shimako excelled brilliantly as a lawyer. One of the few that Yumi actually liked, humorously (or not so humorously) enough. This caused the girl's working hours to be somewhat sporadic, which often gave her and Yumi time to catch up during lunch.

Rei Hasekura was also definitely towards the top of the list. Or would be… if she, like her cousin, weren't teaching. Now a physical education teacher for a few different schools, the older girl had even less free time than Yoshino. But, even with how busy she usually was, Rei never failed in responding whenever Yumi wanted to talk or send an email.

Touko, of course, was out of the question. The younger woman was busy enough as it was, what with classes during the day and working at her grandfather's hospital in her spare time. Additionally, from what Touko said, the busy girl also made time to get together with her own petite soeur from Lillian from time to time. Yumi had no idea how the girl even managed it all. If it were Yumi, she would have cracked long ago.

_Hell_, thought Yumi as she watched the passing street signs and intersections through the foggy windows of the bus, _I did crack… and I didn't even have the pressure that Touko has._ Then again… that had been for completely different reasons.

Suddenly, with her thoughts threatening to turn depressing again, Yumi decided that she needed a coffee... and maybe some cake. And a cookie or two. And it just so happened the bus was currently stopping at the right place to get it.

As the bus coasted to a stop, Yumi stepped up to the opening door and hopped of the bus, careful to keep her footing on the sidewalk. The snow was well-cared for on the walkways, but it paid to tread lightly. Yumi watched her bus disappear down the road for a few moments, and then looked around to gain her bearings. After finding the right direction to take, she set off.

It didn't take long, maybe a few minutes of walking, to finally find her favorite café. As she got closer, she could see the pleasantly decorated outside of the building. The owner still hadn't taken down the Christmas decorations (a "huge hassle", the older woman reasoned), and the strings of differently colored lights beckoned to passersby to come and partake of whatever it was that happened to be brewing at any particular moment.

As she approached the front door, Yumi set her taste buds into 'coffee mode' and pulled the door open.

"Ah!"

"Uwah!"

The first thing Yumi saw was a mass of dark hair fill her vision. She then felt a light impact on her body and at once, the world seemed to spin upside down. Somewhere in the back of her mind, as she felt her back hit the ground, Yumi had the distinct feeling of déjà vu.

For a few short moments, the world was a dizzy kaleidoscope of light and dark. Yumi blinked a few times, and silently thanked herself that her glasses were in her purse. As her vision focused and her vertigo abated, she became aware that a heavy weight was on her body, pushing on both her stomach and her breast.

"Oh my! Are you alright?" She heard a voice call out. Again, the feeling of déjà vu continued.

"Wa…?" She felt her own voice croak, suddenly aware that the dark thing in her eyes was a mass of hair. "Who?" Then, the pressure lifted off of her chest, and she could breathe again.

"I'm sorry! I crushed you. Are you alright?"

As the pressure lifted from her body, so did the mess of hair. Suddenly able to see and move, Yumi pushed herself up on her elbows and looked up-

To see a face Yumi hadn't seen in years.

"O-Onee-sama?!" Yumi sputtered reflexively.

After speaking, Yumi's breath caught in her throat and her entire body seemed to freeze. Her coat and trousers were warm for winter weather, but it still felt as though she had jumped chest-first into a powdery snow bank naked.

Even as Yumi's mind numbly tried to reason that the girl couldn't possibly be who she thought it was, her eyes couldn't match it. Sharp, regal-looking and beautiful face. Long, dark hair spilling down her back and falling down beside her face. Piercing, dark blue eyes. There was little mistake. It looked exactly like her.

It was just impossible.

"Are you alright?"

The voice sent a prickly sensation through Yumi's ears and into her brain. It was the same exact voice as she remembered. She, more that anyone, would know this voice; this calm, controlled, and lovely voice.

Yumi stared, her eyes wide, at the women kneeling a couple feet away from her. Even after nine whole years of not seeing her in person, Yumi could still distinctively recognize her. Even after nine long years, she still had the same long, black hair. She still had dark, piercing blue eyes. Her face, though more mature-looking, was still the same beautiful face she had grown to love in high school. Her voice was still the same cool, calm and collected voice she heard every time she shut out the noises of the world.

She was exactly as she remembered.

It was Sachiko Ogasawara.

Yumi's Onee-sama.

The girl who left Yumi alone in the world.

0 - 0 - 0

**Updated 1/16/13 - Some spacing and spelling**

A/N: A good start, I think. Plenty of questions to ask and lots of places to go. I'll tell you now though... it won't go in the direction you are thinking. ^.^

But PLEASE! Speculate! Guess! I love guesses and speculations! *Snicker*

Read and review, my peeps! I hiiiighly appreciate any and all critiques and praise (even constructive criticism... after I finish crying, of course) If people like this story, I'll continue it :-)

Peace!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. I only own this little piece of non-canon drama. For what its worth.

Thanks to Insomniac1970, ems, enemy32, and serenityskywalker and any guests that made a comment on my first chapter! You guys and gals ROXXOR! As well as anyone who favorited/followed PatS! ;-) You are all the light of my very dark life.

Lets get right to it, shall we?

**The Princess and the Sparrow**

**Chapter 2**

**_Previously on the Princess and the Sparrow..._**

_Yumi stared, her eyes wide, at the women kneeling a couple feet away from her. Even after nine whole years of not seeing her in person, Yumi could still distinctively recognize her. Even after nine long years, she still had the same long, black hair. She still had dark, piercing blue eyes. Her face, though more mature-looking, was still the same beautiful face she had grown to love in high school. Her voice was still the same cool, calm and collected voice she heard every time she shut out the noises of the world._

_She was exactly as she remembered._

_It was Sachiko Ogasawara. _

_Yumi's Onee-sama. _

_The girl who left Yumi alone in the world._

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 1**

There Yumi sat, a textbook example of shock and befuddlement. She stared unblinkingly at the woman in front of her, trying to make head or tails from her current situation. Before Yumi could shake herself out of her daze, the woman shook her head and her eyes flew down to Yumi's front.

"Oh, my! Your coat…" Yumi followed her eyes down to her front and saw a dark stain on her beige winter coat. "I spilled my drink on you! Oh no…" She leaned forward and produced a napkin from somewhere Yumi couldn't see, trying to pat down the area. Even as the woman tried, it was clear the mark wouldn't come out with just a napkin. After realizing it was futile, she clicked her tongue and got to her feet. "I'm so sorry, Miss! I swear if it stains I will pay for it! Let's go inside…" She held her hand out for Yumi to take.

Yumi stared at the woman's outstretched hand for a long time. Her perfectly manicured nails with just a hint of polish (light rose if Yumi's eyes weren't mistaken), long thin fingers, a slender hand; all leading up to her arm and body, which was wrapped in an attractive black snow jacket. Her head, perfectly placed atop her neck, faced her intently, a serious expression in her eyes. Her piercing, familiar eyes.

_Wait… Miss?_ Yumi felt her voice cut into her mind, sending her thoughts into a deeper confusion. _Did she call me Miss?_

Suddenly very aware that the cold ground was getting her trousers and elbows damp, she held her arm out and clasped the woman's hand. With a light grunt, the woman pulled Yumi to her feet.

"There we go." She said, her nervous smile marring her features only just noticeably. "Now, let's go inside. We'll take care of that coat." She stepped back and opened the door, stepping to the side to allow Yumi plenty of room to enter. After a moment of dazed confusion, Yumi numbly walked over the threshold. As she entered, she heard the familiar bells chime as the door shut. Yumi stood, looking around dumbly, and an arm linked with hers, pulling her gently towards a booth along the wall. She was placed directly beside a four person booth, one with seats on each side, and the woman's all-too-familiar face appeared in front of her again. "Please, take off the coat and have a seat. I'll get that stain out."

Yumi felt her mouth move, but couldn't quite form any words. As confused and uncomfortable as she was, she wasn't sure she would be able to get any words out even if she tried. Instead, she gave a small nod and slipped her coat off her shoulders, handing it to the dark-haired woman. She smiled and gestured to the seat.

"Please sit down. Would you like anything? It'll be my treat... as an initial apology." She added, almost as an afterthought. Again, Yumi moved her mouth, but no sounds came out. After a moment, the other seemed to understand. "Would… you like me to choose something?" Yumi nodded again, and the woman immediately set off towards the counter with Yumi's coat in hand.

Yumi stared after her, her muddled mind desperately trying to make sense out of what was happening. Here she was... eight whole years of not seeing or even speaking to the woman, and she suddenly runs into her (quite literally!) in a cafe! In Japan, of all places!

What was she even doing in Japan?

The last thing Yumi heard from Touko was that _she_ was still in the United Kingdom, running the European branch of the Ogasawara Group out of... what city was it? London? York? Wales? Some city Yumi hadn't bothered to remember. Sure, that was a whole year ago... but surely if _she_ were to have come back, Touko would have told Yumi... right? _Somebody_ would have! Even the woman's cousin, Kashiwagi! Sure, Yumi and he hadn't been on the best of terms the past couple years; but he owed her _at least_ that much.

Yumi shook her head in an attempt to bring her focus back on the present. She narrowed her eyes towards the familiar-looking woman, who was in conversation with one of the baristas. She was gesturing to Yumi's coat in her hands, and the barista handed her a bottle. It was, Yumi assumed, filled with some sort of cleaning agent. The dark-haired woman smiled and bowed her head to the girl, and walked back towards the booth with both the coat and the bottle in hand.

"They had some bleach for colors and..." She leaned over, picking up her bag she had set on the floor. "I have a few other surprises that work well with stains." She finished with a very familiar smile. Setting Yumi's coat on the table, she sat herself down and started flattening out the clothing. Yumi watched the woman look over the wet patch of her coat silently, not quite sure how she should be taking this whole thing.

Almost dwarfed by the pounding of her heart in her ears, Yumi barely heard herself rattle off question after silent question.

Was she not going to say anything? Was she going to ignore her? Ignore what happened? Was she going to just fix her coat and leave? Just like last time? Where did she even learn to treat a stain? What the _hell_ was going on?

"Oh, this should come out easily; the fabric is stain-resistant. That is indeed lucky." She sighed happily and unscrewed the bottle of bleach, careful to tuck her dark bangs behind her ears before doing so. With a quick movement, the poured some onto a cotton ball (which she produced from her bag) and started dabbing away at Yumi's coat.

"Where did you learn to treat stains?" Yumi found herself whisper, her quiet voice noticeably shaky. She thought her voice had been too quiet to hear, but the other had definitely picked up on it. Her ears had always been good, after all.

"Hmm?" The other looked up and tilted her head slightly to the side. A somewhat… odd gesture, considering the person making it. "Well, I deal with stains often, actually. Not _coffee_ stains... but lots of different kinds." She reached into her bag and withdrew a small bottle. With a light tap, she poured a small amount of the clear liquid on Yumi's coat.

"What's that?" Yumi asked, not really caring what the woman was doing to her coat. She could always buy a new one. The coat didn't matter to her in the slightest. She was just talking to keep the pounding in her ears and chest from getting any worse.

"This?" The dark-haired woman asked, holding up the small bottle. "It's just something I buy from a supplier that works wonders on just about anything that stains. Like I said, I deal with that often."

"Why?"

"I paint."

That certainly was not an answer Yumi expected. Out of all the things she knew the Ogasawara princess to do, painting was not often one of them. She _could_… and when she did you could put any of her creations up in a museum… but it wasn't anything she had spent a lot of time pursuing. Apparently, she had changed a lot in eight years.

Yumi's surprise must have been obvious, because the other cast her dark eyes up at Yumi and smiled softly. "Surprised? It's written all over your face. " Her head tilted to the side again. "In fact, has anyone ever told you that you have quite an expressive face?"

Yumi opened and closed her mouth for a few moments, a flustered blush creeping up her neck to her ears. Of course she knew about that! Everyone did! She didn't have to go ahead and say that like it was her first time ever finding out.

Settling on expressing annoyance, Yumi crossed her arms over her chest and narrowed her eyes in a glare. "Of course I know that, Onee-sama. That hasn't changed at all."

There is was. She said it. It was out. As she said those words her stomach somersaulted painfully, giving her the impression that if she moved even an inch, she would soon lose her lunch.

A pity. It had been so good, too.

At once, the woman's smile faltered and her eyes widened in surprise. Her hands stopped working on Yumi's coat. She closed her mouth and the skin around her eyes loosened as she looked back at Yumi. There was no fear, anger, shame, or happiness in her face; just confusion and surprise.

After a few long moments of silence, she spoke.

"O...Onee-sama? What do you mean?"

Yumi felt a muscle in her cheek twitch, her nausea still forcing her to remain as still as possible. "Don't be coy, Onee-sama." She said sharply. In an attempt to keep her voice from shaking, she let anger take the place of fear. "I may still be Yumi, but that doesn't mean I am still stupid or gullible."

Now it was the other's turn to open and close her mouth wordlessly. Seemingly at a loss for a reply, she just returned Yumi's cold glare with confusion. Her silence just prompted Yumi to continue, her anger growing with every passing moment.

"What, nothing to say now? Is the incredible Sachiko Ogasawara out of retorts?" Yumi hissed, keeping her voice as low as she could. Her voice came out as a strained whisper, but it still sounded to Yumi's ears angrier than she had sounded in years. "What the _hell_ are you doing here? Go back to England! It's where you want to be, right?"

The woman recoiled slightly at Yumi's tone. She returned Yumi's glare with a slightly hurt look of her own, and Yumi couldn't help the feeling of regret that came up at the sudden moisture in the corner of the other's eyes.

"I..." She said after taking a slow breath.

"Sagara-san! Your order!" The barista she talked to earlier called out, placing two cups and a plate on the counter.

Yumi blinked, shooting a look of shock to the younger girl, and back to the other. Then back to the girl behind the counter. Surely she heard wrong. Sagara? Sachiko Sagara? Not Ogasawara? What was going on?

"Excuse me." The dark-haired woman said softly, standing up. Not looking at Yumi, she walked directly over to the counter and picked up the cups. Yumi stared after her, the feeling of shock pushing its way back to the forefront of her mind, well toppling over the anger that was quickly dying away.

Sagara? Who? What?

Yumi barely noticed when the other woman placed a cup of a dark, steaming liquid in front of her, and again when a plate weighed down with a rather large slice of red velvet cake appeared next. What she did notice, however, was that an ID card was placed on the table beside the cake.

"I think... you may have me mistaken for someone else..." The woman across from her said softly. Yumi stared at the table, not daring to look up. The feeling of shame now began to manifest in her cheeks and ears. She couldn't have been mistaken. There was no way she could have been wrong. She knew her. She knew her better than anyone else in the world. There was no way…

Slowly, she leaned forward to look at the card, and felt her stomach churn painfully again as the information made its way to her consciousness.

Maya Sagara. Age twenty-eight. Born in Kyoto. Japanese citizen. Address…

Maya Sagara.

Not Sachiko Ogasawara.

Not Sachiko. Not Sachiko. Not her Onee-sama. Not her. Not her. Not her. Not her. NOT HER!

"On-" Yumi exhaled sharply, suddenly feeling very ill. The churning in her stomach became a sickening heat that spread to her shoulders and neck, and her mouth lost all of its moisture. "Be right back!" Was all she could manage before shooting up out of her seat and running to the restroom.

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**Part 2**

Yumi couldn't hold back the relieved sigh that escaped her lips as she splashed a generous amount of water on her pink-tinged face. She stared back at the young woman in the mirror for a few moments, all the while her chocolate-brown eyes stared back at her sadly. Over the years, Yumi had gotten used to vomiting. Whether it was due to anxiety, medication she had been prescribed, or even a few times of being over-liberal with certain types of alcohol, it had happened quite a few times. Obviously, with how often it had happened, and for whatever reason why it happened, it was not something she was overly fond of.

"Bye bye lunch…" Yumi sighed and rinsed her hands under the tap once more. As she reached for her pocket to retrieve a tissue, she grimaced with the realization that her coat was still out in the main room of the café with_ her_-

No. Not _her_. Not Sachiko. Maya.

Maya Sagara.

How could she have been so stupid? How could have made such a childish mistake? She was supposed to be past all this, wasn't she? She was supposed to be _an adult_. She was supposed to-

"God… Damn it…" Yumi said, balling her hands into tight fists on the bathroom counter. She knew she had to go back out there. She had to go and apologize, at the very least. It was what an adult would do. She owed this woman- this stranger- at least that much.

Giving one last look in the mirror, Yumi ignored the look of pity that came from those brown eyes and walked out of the bathroom. As she entered the main dining area, Yumi's gaze fell on Maya, who was dutifully working away at Yumi's coat. Even though she now knew that this woman was not _her_… Yumi still couldn't help the feeling of anxiety that sprung up as she saw her.

The two women looked almost exactlyalike.

Same hair.

Same eyes.

Same face.

Same mouth…

Surely it couldn't be a coincidence… could it?

Sighing to herself, Yumi pressed her lips together and walked back to the table. When she got there, she stopped in front of Maya's seat and bowed at the waist.

"Sagara-san, I apologize." She said, her eyes glued to the floor. "I mistook you for someone else, and I said some really cruel things. You didn't deserve that, and I am truly sorry for my behavior." Yumi stood there for a few moments, feeling embarrassment creep up her neck as she bowed to the slightly older woman.

"It's alright. I understand." Came the calm response. "Don't worry about it, really."

Yumi straightened herself and sighed in relief at the smile on Sachiko… no- on Maya's face. "I'm really sorry." She said again, putting at much sincerity into her voice as she could manage. Maya shook her head and gestured to Yumi's side of the booth.

"Really, it's fine. Please sit down. I'm just about finished here." She said, her collected face a perfect resemblance to one Yumi had known and loved for so long.

Holding back the uncomfortable thought that just sprang into her head, Yumi re-seated herself and took a steadying breath. That was entirely too close. If it were indeed _her_… then Yumi had no idea how it would have turned out. If she had been prepared for it, then perhaps Yumi could handle herself. But, as it were… she was lucky. Lucky it was not Sachiko Ogasawara.

Safe with the knowledge that it was not her old Onee-sama sitting in front of Yumi, and instead it was just someone who looked just like her, Yumi was beginning to feel the aftereffects of her anger release itself from her body.

"So, may I know your name?" Maya asked lightly, her dark eyes flicking up from the coat to Yumi's face. "You know my name, after all."

Yumi gave a weak smile as she straightened herself. "I'm Yumi. Yumi Fukuzawa." Out of habit, she leaned forward and reached into her coat's breast-pocket. After slipping her fingers in the flap, she withdrew a small silver case. At Maya's raised eyebrow, Yumi pulled out a business card, and handed it to Maya using both her hands. She hadn't meant to be so formal, but the habit was a hard one to break. Still, she had to fight the small feeling of embarrassment that sprang up when Maya dropped her cotton ball to retrieve Yumi's business card with both hands.

"It's Fukuzawa from Fukuzawa Yukichi. You add 'right' to a shimesu-hen for Yu, and Mi for the year of the snake." Yumi explained as Maya looked over the card. Only after closing her mouth did Yumi realize that, not only was the explanation unneeded as Maya had her name written right in front of her, but the woman hadn't even asked. Out of the depths of Yumi's memories, she recalled her first time ever being introduced to the Rose family from her days at Lillian. The previous Rosa Gigantea, Rosa Chinensis and Rosa Foetida asking her for the Kanji spelling of her name, and Yumi's practiced response.

For a fleeting moment, Yumi wondered if the reason why she explained her name was because Maya's looks and voice reminded her of that day.

"I see…" Maya said, nodding. She then looked up and colored slightly; something Yumi was not all that used to seeing on that face. "You… want to know how to spell my name in Kanji, as well?"

"Oh, no, no." Yumi said, declining off the offer with a nervous wave of her hand. "I saw your name written on your ID. I'm not sure why I told you when you saw my name written down. It just slipped out. Habit, I guess."

Maya gave a soft laugh; a sound that Yumi found all-too-familiar, despite not hearing it for years_._ She was surprisingly glad to hear the sound again, and she felt her shoulders relax in response. "I see. You are an architect?" Maya asked, flicking Yumi's business card around to see the back.

"Yes. Well, more of an architectural designer. I work with my brother and my father. We have a family architectural business."

"Wow. That sounds wonderful." Maya said with a smile. She carefully slipped Yumi's business card into the purse at her side. After re-closing the purse, squared her shoulders and sat up a little straighter. "You know, I looked a little into architectural drafting when I was in art school. But it was far too difficult for me, I'm afraid."

"Oh yea? You said you are a painter?" Yumi asked, interested in what the woman did.

Maya shook her head. "No. Well, I _do _paint, but not primarily."

"A hobby?"

Another shake of the head. "No. Well…" She pursed her lips in thought. "I guess I am a writer. I write children's books and illustrate them myself."

"Hmm…" Yumi made a noise that was that of genuine interest and put her chin on her hands. She was still feeling the aftereffects of her anger and nervousness, and it was all she could do to keep from fidgeting around. "Are you published?"

Maya blinked and slowly smiled. "Yes. I have been published for a couple years now." She then looked back down at Yumi's coat and, after giving it a quick final examination, slid it over the table towards its owner. "There we go- good as new, Fukuzawa-san. Lucky thing, too; it looks expensive." She giggled softly, holding her hand to her mouth.

Yumi took her coat and lowered her head in a short bow. "Thank you very much. You didn't have to go through the trouble, Sagara-san. It isn't really all that important, this coat."

"Nonsense. A woman's clothing is just as important to her as her personal features." The other said, holding up her finger as if giving a lecture. She then laughed and gave Yumi a wink. "Or so my mother always says."

Yumi had to keep her surprise from leaking out on her face to that declaration. Considering how similar Maya looked to Sachiko Ogasawara, it was indeed unsettling to see the woman laugh and wink… like a young woman (or even a teenager!). It was almost like a playful gesture, one two close friends would use with one another. Not that Yumi minded, really. In fact, it made her respond in kind.

"My mother says the same thing!" She said, joining the older woman in her laughter. "In fact, many of my friends also say that… I may be the only one who doesn't really care about what she wears…" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I need to look into that a little more?"

Maya gave a shrug and, looking at her watch, hissed softly between her teeth. "Oh, my… I am afraid I have to go. I have a business meeting to attend." She began to gather her things and put them in her bag. Yumi blinked and sat up straighter, suddenly very self-conscious.

"Oh! I'm sorry… I must have made you late. What with my coat and-"

"Don't worry, Fukuzawa-san, I won't be late. And even if I were to be late," She smiled, picking up her bag and her cup of coffee. "It was worth it. It was lovely meeting you." After standing, she bowed to Yumi. Scrambling to get up, Yumi returned the woman's bow and felt a bright blush warm her cheeks.

"I-it was nice meeting you too, Sagara-san!" She stammered nervously. "G-gokigenyou!" Only after saying the phrase did Yumi blink in shock. Just where had _that_ come from? She hadn't said _that_ phrase in years! Not since her time in Lillian Academy. She slowly looked up at Maya and was relieved to see the woman's familiar smile.

"Gokigenyou, Fukuzawa-san." She said and, with a small wave, she walked towards the entrance. Yumi watched as she opened the wooden door and closed it behind her, its bells jingling just under the brass-coated doorknob.

Exhaling heavily, Yumi's body crumpled back down on the seat and she stared for a long time at the untouched drink and cake in front of her. Today had felt so long and so very busy, and it was barely past two in the afternoon. Her mind felt numb and unfamiliar. Her body felt stretched and tingly. Her stomach still churned uncomfortably.

She had woken up this morning expecting a normal Friday. And it had been anything but that. Not only had she been pushed into a meeting with someone who worked with the Ogasawaras… but she also met someone who could be a doppelgänger for the one-and-only (at least… presumably) Sachiko Ogasawara.

Yumi eyed the slice of red velvet cake, not entirely sure her still-tender stomach could manage it. The drink she could probably force down. In fact, it would actually get rid of the acidic taste of vomit that she finally noticed lingering in her mouth. But the cake… the cake she would have to take home. Maybe Touko would like it. She was possibly going to come over that evening anyway.

Yumi reached out and picked up the lukewarm cup. She gave one last look to the door. After a long moment she swiveled her eyes towards the frosted window and took a slow, quiet sip of macchiato.

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 3**

Later that evening, Yumi found herself in her kitchen, dividing her attention between a marinating evenly-sliced beef brisket, russet potatoes boiling in a pot on her stove range, and an assortment of vegetables soaking beside the sink. After taking a solid twenty minutes of looking through her cupboards and refrigerator decided what to cook, she had finally decided on a western-influence meal.

During her time in university, Yumi decided (well, truth be told her friends decided, and Yumi had agreed by indifference) that she needed a new hobby to take her mind off of… certain things. After many failed attempts, cooking was finally settled upon and much to everyone's surprise, Yumi excelled marvelously at the skill.

At least one time a week, Yumi would get together with Yoshino and Rei at their home for dinner. Rei, being an extremely gifted cook, was the primary teacher for Yumi's new hobby. Yoshino, being an extremely gifted eater, was the perfect judge of her efforts. In the years since then, Yumi had continued to improve by cooking anything and everything she saw. On television, on the internet, even from word of mouth; Yumi would try it all. Sometimes she would succeed, sometimes she would fail. It didn't matter to her. What mattered was that in the process of cooking, she could relax. Relax, reflect, and try to better herself in the process.

It was Yumi's favorite and most useful attribute now that she lived on her own.

As she watched the water surrounding the potatoes boil, Yumi thought about the events of the day that led up to the evening. First, her business lunch with Yuuki and their client, Onoga. Yumi had pushed that to the back of her mind with what happened after, but now that she had the time to reflect on it, the realization of her new project hit her full on. A summer house wasn't that big of a deal. Yumi hadn't designed anything bigger than a two-story home as of yet, but it wouldn't be too much of a stretch for her. Actually working with the client would be the difficult part. Truthfully, however, the fact that Onoga did business with the Ogasawaras wasn't really what bothered Yumi. What bothered her was the fact that her brother hadn't given her any warning whatsoever. She had been expecting a regular client, not someone with ties to her old grande soeur's family.

What was Yuuki playing at, not cluing her in about that? Was he trying to annoy Yumi? Trying to embarrass her? Trying to force some sort of relapse?

Yumi shook her head and, using a large wooden spoon, gave the potatoes a few pushes in the boiling water. Whatever the reason her brother had for not telling her anything, the fact remained that Yumi was not a child anymore. Business was business, and she had to treat this client as important as any other. No matter whom he had relationships with.

But that still did not get Yuuki off the hook. Yumi would have to find a way to get back at her _younger_ brother later. Maybe Yoshino could help come up with something? Her best friend usually had good ideas to annoy people... in a good-natured way, of course.

Yumi smiled ruefully and brought the potatoes down to a simmer. They were about ready to mash, and being potatoes, they could wait until the meat was just about finished.

She walked around her kitchen island to the pan of brisket lying out on the counter. Quick as a flash, she poked the meat with her index finger and popped her finger into her mouth, tasting the meat's juice. Good, it was ready to cook. She could start it and then take a breather while it cooked.

Putting on a pair of thick, pink oven mitts, she picked up the pan of brisket and walked over to the oven. She stopped in front of the dual-level hinged doors and used her foot to open the lower of the two. Making sure to double-check if the oven was pre-heated to the right temperature, she slid the pan of meat into the oven and carefully shut it.

"Alright… about forty-five minutes to cook in the oven… another five-to-ten to cook outside of the oven… fifty-five minutes." She said out loud, memorizing the instructions. She had a kitchen egg-timer, but it also helped her to say these types of things out loud. Yumi found it helpful, at least.

She slipped off the oven mitts and leaned against the edge of the countertop. Casting her eyes around the room, Yumi's attention fell on her phone laying on the other side of the island. After a moment, she walked over and picked it up, keying the bright screen to life. There weren't any messages or anything, she knew, but that still didn't stop her from hoping.

Stifling the sigh that threatened to escape her lips, Yumi turned her thoughts to the second, and by far the more interesting, development of the day.

Maya Sagara.

The woman who Yumi took at first to be none other than Sachiko Ogasawara.

That had certainly been a bigger surprise than the meeting with Onoga. Whereas she would have handled (professionally) a meeting with someone like Onoga, a meeting with Sachiko would have not been so easy for Yumi. Luckily, though, it had turned out not to be the Ogasawara heiress (currently still in England), and instead someone completely new.

New and more than a little intriguing.

Yumi's phone dimmed down to a black, inactive screen, and she tapped it again habitually.

Maya certainly had _looked_ like Sachiko… but from what Yumi could tell from the older woman's mannerisms, she was pretty different personality-wise. She had acted... well... _younger_ than she was. Almost playful, but still with that regal calmness that Sachiko absolutely radiated. It had been an interesting mix; one that Yumi was surprised to notice.

It was just too bad that she never got Maya's contact information.

Suddenly, blinking to herself, Yumi replayed the thought she just had through the analytical part of her mind. Maya's contact information? Why would she want that? Why would she _need_ it? It wasn't as though she needed to get to get to know the woman. She was a perfect stranger. One who just _happened_ to look like someone Yumi-

...

Yumi shook her head, attempting to clear it from unneeded thoughts. No, she didn't need to think like that. Sachiko was long gone. Thinking about things like this would only cause Yumi to get depressed again. If Yumi were sure of anything, it was that she didn't need that kind of thinking in her life anymore.

Still, though, it seemed to Yumi a shame that the meeting had been a one-time thing.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her hand.

"Gah!" Yumi cried out reflexively, holding her hand out at arm's length. It buzzed again, and this time Yumi let out a breath of relief. It was just a phone call… nothing to be concerned about. However, as she peered at the blinking display, her brow furrowed in confusion.

'Unknown caller' was what appeared on the incoming call information.

"Huh?" Yumi voiced aloud slowly. An unknown caller? She had a privately listed phone number; one she only used for personal and business reasons. She rarely received calls from an unknown number. There was no one she knew that would normally call using an unknown number, even. "Who…?" She mumbled slowly.

Suddenly, in a flash of recollection, Yumi remembered that she had given her business card to Maya Sagara earlier that afternoon. Yumi hadn't gotten the woman's contact information, but she had gotten Yumi's! But, it couldn't be her calling, could it? For one, she had no real reason to call her. Not only that, they had only met (and briefly at that) that afternoon. Even if she had a reason… it seemed a bit… presumptuous to call someone that soon.

Didn't it?

Swallowing against a suddenly dry throat, she pressed the answer toggle and pressed the pone to her ear. "H-hello. This is Yumi Fukuzawa."

"Yumi-san! Helloooooooo!"

It took a few short moments for the excited voice on the other line to become recognizable to Yumi. At once, the knot in her stomach unwound and she let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "Yoshino-san… it's you…"

"Of course it's me!" Yoshino said, her tone turning a little indignant. "Who else would it be?"

"Well, you are calling me on an unknown number. So I was confused."

"Ahh, I see. I see." Came the amused reply. "I'm using the house phone. My cell is Oh Oh Pee: Out Of Power! Soooo… yea. Hence, the landline."

"I understand." Yumi said, sighing heavily. Thank God… she really didn't need any more surprises today. "So, what's up?"

Yoshino's voice was muffled for a moment, and then came back clear in the phone. "Huh? Oh! Yea! Rei-chan and I wanted to see if you were free tomorrow."

Yumi smiled into the mouthpiece and shrugged, fully aware that the other could not see her gesture. "I guess I am. That is, if whatever you have planned is better than sitting around eating ice cream in my underwear. Can you top that?" She heard Yoshino hiss sharply, a quick exhale of breath between her teeth.

"Ssssahhh! Damn! That's a close one. We were thinking of going to have tea at a mahjong house, some lunch, and then go shopping. Say… around noonish?" Her tone rose at the end, a clear sign at temptation towards Yumi. Not that the woman needed to bother; Yumi actually thought the idea sounded rather appealing.

"That does sound like it could be fun." She said. "Touko is coming to stay the night in a bit, though. Should I invite her as well?"

"Hang on." Yoshino said. Her voice became muffled again. Assumedly, Yumi guessed, she was conferring with Rei. The two cousins lived next door to each other and were therefore, essentially, housemates. They usually made plans together and needed to often check with the other before changes could be made. After a moment, Yoshino came back. "Rei-chan said sure, bring her along. I'm not sure why you have to ask, though. She's one of us, girl. She's always welcome to whatever we do."

Yumi shrugged again. "I know, but you know me. I always ask."

"Right, right, right. So, tomorrow?"

"Yup. Just text the address to me and Touko will drive us there."

"Cool. See you!" Yumi heard a soft, distant "See you tomorrow, Yumi-chan!" on the other end. The second voice belonged to Rei, she knew.

"Alright, good night, you two."

Smiling to herself, Yumi ended the call and placed the phone back on the countertop. Shopping with the girls tomorrow _did _sound especially nice. It would be a day away from work and distractions, spent with her friends, just being _girls_. With Yumi's oftentimes sporadic schedule, she usually didn't have enough time to be a girl_._ She was always just working, or with her brother, or drawing, or having quiet time at home alone. Having fun with friends was one of the things she missed most about her younger years in school and (when she had been emotionally stable enough) in university.

And if things went well, she might even find something cute to buy!

As the thought of buying something to wear occurred to her, Yumi heard a familiar voice in the back of her head, saying a somewhat unfamiliar phrase.

_"Nonsense. A woman's clothing is just as important to her as her personal features."_

Maya Sagara had said that earlier that day. If Sachiko Ogasawara had said it, Yumi would have been floored. But coming from someone else, who just happened to look and sound like the same woman... it seemed... different.

Suddenly, as if to stop Yumi from thinking too much more about that particular topic, her phone buzzed again. It buzzed twice, in quick succession. A message. "Yoshino sending me the address, huh? That was quick." Yumi said to herself and picked up her phone again. She pressed the toggle to expand the message and-

Immediately felt her stomach lurch as she read the words on the screen.

_Yumi Fukuzawa-san,_

_It was lovely meeting you today! You are an interesting person._

_I want to apologize again for spilling coffee on your coat. The stain should be gone, but if it is not let me know and I promise I will replace it for you._

_I wanted to ask if you frequented the cafe we met at often. Do you? If you do, maybe we will meet again._

_Have a lovely evening!_

_Maya_

Yumi read the message, and then re-read it more slowly. It was indeed a message from Maya. It wasn't very long, but it wasn't short enough to write off as something like a 'thank-you note'. _Lovely meeting you_?_ Interesting person_? What did she mean by adding those? Was she just being friendly, or was there another meaning in there?

And what about the last part? Maybe they will meet at the cafe again?

Yumi swallowed, gripping her phone tightly in her hand. It was at times like this she wished she knew more about working with people. Being a semi-hermit that only went to cafes alone and drew houses at home had its obvious disadvantages.

But one thing was certain about the message.

Maya thought Yumi was friendly enough to message her and likely wanted to meet again.

The question was... why?

A sharp ringing sound shook Yumi out of her stupor. "Uwah- Not again!" She cried out reflexively, clutching her phone to her breast. Only after a few moments of silence did she realize that she was still alone and then, feeling a little foolish, took a deep breath. "Just the front door." She told herself quietly. "Jeez, what am I, sixteen?" Laughing a little, she put her phone back on the counter and walked over to the over to check on the beef. Satisfied it was cooking properly, she nodded to herself and made her way out of the kitchen towards the front door.

"Just a second!" She called out towards the door. Walking over to her coat rack standing in the entryway, she picked out a light pink coat and slipped it on. Not bothering to zip up the coat, she stepped up to the door and opened it.

Touko Matsudaira stood on the other side of the doorway, her ever-present hair curls swaying gently in the evening winter breeze. Yumi smiled widely as she finished opening the door for the younger woman.

"Hi, Touko! I wasn't sure if you were going to be able to make it tonight." Yumi said as she stepped to the side, letting the other enter.

"At first, I wasn't sure I would be able to either, Onee-sama." Touko said, bowing slightly as she walked inside. "I managed to finish my lab work after lunch, but work at the hospital took all afternoon. It was all I could do to leave after everyone was taken care of."

"You really didn't have to go through so much trouble." Yumi said, shaking her head as Touko slipped of her ankle-length boots with one hand. Her other hand hefted her medium-sized overnight bag.

"Of course I did, Onee-sama." The younger woman returned tartly. "You are a troublesome Onee-sama. Therefore I must go through lots of trouble for you. Can I put this in your room?" Not allowing Yumi to come up with a retort for her vocal jab, she held up her bag with both hands.

Yumi kept her grin, but let her shoulders fall in defeat. The girl was quick, that much was certain. "Yea, go ahead. I'll be in the kitchen."

"I'll just be a moment."

With that, Touko marched off down the hall, but not before shrugging out of her burgundy winter coat and setting it on the coat rack as she passed. Yumi eyed the other's back for a moment, and then walked back down the hall to the kitchen. When she entered, she snatched up her phone and stuffed it into her trousers' pocket.

Better safe than sorry, after all. She knew Touko wouldn't go through her phone. But still...

After adjusting her somewhat loose-fitting jeans to accommodate for her phone, she opened the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher filled with dark red juice. She then grabbed two glasses from the cupboard and poured enough of the juice to fill the glasses roughly halfway. When she was just putting the pitcher back into the refrigerator, Touko walked into the kitchen.

"So what are you attempting to make tonight, Onee-sama?" She asked, setting herself on one of the bar stools alongside the island in the middle of the kitchen.

"Beef brisket marinated in red wine, mashed potatoes and cherry tomato salad." Yumi said, eyeing Touko as she brought her a glass of the juice. The younger woman wore a grey and white striped turtleneck sweater, black knee-length skirt, and white winter leggings. Yumi also noticed the glint of silver earrings behind her hair curls. She didn't often wear earrings, and Yumi found herself wondering what occasion Touko was 'dolled up' for.

"Western Friday night, then? Thank you." Touko said as she accepted the glass of juice. She took a sip and eyed the drink appreciatively. "Pomegranate? What's the occasion?"

"No occasion. I just like it, you know that." Yumi said, laughing as she sat next to Touko. "I should ask the same to you. A skirt? Earrings? What, you going on a date after this or something?" She felt Touko stiffen beside her and she smiled into her glass. It was always fun seeing the woman's reactions to light prodding.

"I cannot look good for my Onee-sama?" She asked hotly, making an effort to turn away from Yumi. "I apologize! I didn't know I wasn't allowed to dress up for you. Next time, I shall make sure to put on a sack before I meet you." She turned her face back slightly towards Yumi, and took another drink from her glass. "This is good."

Yumi snorted a laugh a put her head on the counter (Thud!). "Oh my God, Touko!" She giggled into the granite counter-top. "You are just so cute!"

A grunt was her only reply.

"Alright, alright." Yumi cleared her throat. "How's this? I really appreciate that you go to school all day, work at the hospital all afternoon and evening, and then still have the time to dress up and come see me." Yumi reached out and pressed her hand to Touko's cheek. "Really. Thank you." The girl peered back at Yumi, her cheeks tinged a light pink as she considered the older woman's words. Then, after a few long moments, she nodded.

"Alright then." She said, apparently satisfied. "As long as you understand, Onee-sama." She then stood up and looked around the kitchen. "Now then, your _cute _and_ overworked _soeur would like to help you cook. What shall I do?"

Yumi smiled and stood up. "The meat is already in the oven so it'll be finished soon. I bought it pre-cooked and marinated it before popping it in the oven. It should still turn out alright, though. You can help prepare the tomato salad while I mash the potatoes. The makings are next to the sink and in the fridge. Cherry tomatoes, a cup of olives, some onion and pine nuts… the recipe is over there on the counter. You got to brown the pine nuts a bit, too." She gestured to a skillet already set out in the stove range beside the simmering pot of potatoes.

"And the salad dressing?" Touko asked, walking over to the sink to wash her hands.

"I already made the vinaigrette; olive oil, red wine vinegar, sugar and oregano. With just a bit of salt and pepper for seasoning. It's in a plastic container in the fridge."

The younger girl raised an eyebrow at Yumi after glancing over the recipe. "It seems to me that you don't even need my help, Onee-sama. You seem fairly on top of things."

Yumi laughed and placed a hand on Touko's shoulder in a consoling manner. "Now, now, Touko. As long as there is mixing and grunt work to do… you will always have a place in my kitchen."

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 4**

If Yumi had learned anything from taking Touko on as a petite soeur in high school, it was that the girl had many talents and strengths. Not once, in the ten years Yumi knew her, had Touko encountered difficulty doing anything (aside from a few instances, of course). The point is that Touko was a very self-assured woman. Definitely one of the strongest women Yumi knew, and when Touko said something, she was sure of it. She had rarely ever been wrong.

That was why when Touko put down her fork and looked at Yumi, her customary smirk gracing her face, and said "So, when will you tell me who it was you met?", all Yumi could do was groan in defeat, and slam her head down on her hardwood dinner table.

She could never hide anything from the younger girl. Intuition like a psychic. That had to be it. Yumi could testify in court if Touko were ever called on it.

Yumi peered up at Touko from the tabletop, and groaned a second time at the satisfied face the girl made as she picked up her fork. Humming an indistinct song to herself, she skewered a piece of brisket and popped it into her mouth. "This is fantastic. My compliments to the chef." She said after she chewed and swallowed.

"Oh shut up, smart-ass."

Another shrug, followed by another piece of meat. "In all seriousness though, Onee-sama: you are too easy to read."

"I know..." Yumi sighed and sat up. She gathered some mashed potato onto her fork and took a half-bite. She felt her lips turn into a small smile as she tasted the rewards of adding cheese to the potatoes after she mashed them. "That'll totally get me into trouble someday."

"I'm sure it already has." The younger girl said. She took a moment to dig into the salad she had prepared. From the smile that sprang up as she chewed, she was pleased by her work.

"Oh, speaking of getting into trouble," Yumi said, fidgeting in her seat. "Yoshino-san called earlier to ask us out tomorrow for lunch and shopping. Are you free?"

"Before going to your parents for dinner?"

"Yea. Lunch and afternoon with Yoshino-san and Rei-sama, then my house for dinner with Yuuki and my parents." Touko speared another piece of meat, and chewed it thoughtfully for a few moments. Yumi eyed the younger girl closely, not quite sure how to take the silence. Was she actually considering not going? "Are… you busy?" She asked tentatively.

"No, not particularly." Touko said, shrugging, a sort-of half smile on her lips. "I left the whole day open for you."

"Oh…" Yumi opened her mouth in a small 'o' and nodded. "I see. In that case, would you like to see if Aya-chan is free to join us tomorrow?"

Aya Kotomine, Touko's petite soeur from Lillian, was a sweet, energetic girl of twenty-five years. Currently working in her family's business (a flourishing computer company), the girl usually had weekends free to spend with friend. That is… when she wasn't stuck to a computer monitor.

Touko shook her head, a somewhat depressed tone now touching her features. "Unfortunately, she is busy tomorrow working on a new program. I was planning to have tea with her on Sunday."

"Oh! Well, that's good." Yumi said, smiling as her mental image of the playful girl came to mind. Everyone always said Aya and Yumi were similar. The two girls looked somewhat similar, as far as hair and eye color were concerned… but the main similarity was their matching personalities. Both girls were open books as far as expressing themselves physically was concerned. It was perhaps of that similarity that Touko had originally chosen the girl to give Yumi's rosary to. Needless to say, Yumi highly approved of Touko's choice of petite soeur. She had, at one point, been somewhat worried the younger girl's brashness and, what Yoshino had at one time described as Touko's 'prickly-ness', would put off a lot of potential soeurs.

In Aya Kotomine's case, it had been what attracted her to Touko, as it did Yumi the previous year.

It was because of the striking similarity that Aya and Yumi were called true 'grand-soeurs'. Even after Yumi left Lillian, the nick-name stuck.

"I miss her. We should find time to get together with her next time." Yumi remarked happily. She picked up a piece of beef with her fork and held it out at eye level, examining it.

"I will let her know. I'm sure Aya will be very pleased to hear that." Touko replied, taking a sip from her juice glass. "And please, stop changing the subject, Onee-sama."

Yumi blinked and dropped her fork, her eyes wide. "Uh…" She managed weakly.

"Whom did you meet?" The question was firm. She wouldn't budge.

Sighing, Yumi leaned forward and held her chin in her hands. "I didn't really _meet _anyone, Touko. I just… ran into someone today."

Touko raised an eyebrow. "Ran into someone? Who?"

Yumi actually laughed. "I mean, seriously, _ran into_. I was going to get a coffee and I ran into this girl as I walked into the store. She spilled her coffee on my coat."

"Hmm." Touko made a noise in the back of her throat as she chewed on a forkful of potato, indicating for Yumi to continue.

"So, she offered to help get the stain out, and we talked for a while." Yumi shrugged in an attempt to end the conversation. "And that's it."

"And that's it? Nothing to add?" Touko pressed, her smirk back on her lips. Yumi returned the younger girl's gaze for a few long moments, and then gave in with another sigh. Check, and Mate.

"And… I gave her my business card. It was totally normal. At least… I thought so. Then she…" Yumi hesitated, not quite sure how to say it. "She messaged me just before you came." Slowly, feeling the weight of her embarrassment at being found out by the younger woman, she pulled out her phone from her pocket and handed it to Touko. The younger girl retrieved the phone and pressed a few toggles. After reaching the messages, Touko read through the most recent one and raised an eyebrow, a somewhat humored look adding to her smirk.

"My, my… it seems she might be interested in meeting again, this Maya."

Yumi groaned and put her forehead back onto the tabletop. "Don't remind me. What the hell, Touko? We just met today!"

"And what's wrong with that, Onee-sama? From the tone of this message, it doesn't seem anything less than friendly. You don't have to read more into it than that." She laughed softly, a short exhale through her nose. "Though, it seems she was quite taken with you. How old is she?"

"Twenty-eight, I believe."

Touko 'hummed' again thoughtfully, tapping the semi-rounded corner of Yumi's phone. "Have you replied her yet?"

"No… I'm not sure I should."

"Why not?"

Yumi opened her mouth to speak, only to find that she didn't know what to say. She rolled her head around to look sideways, away from her food and towards the doorway into simple dining room. From this angle, she could see right into her living room. She could even see her television, though angled slightly away from her. She pursed her lips and chose the best answer she could vocalize.

"I'm… not sure I should think about getting close to anyone else."

That brought Touko down a few steps. Yumi heard her set down her fork and sigh softly. After a long silence, the younger girl spoke. "I disagree, Onee-sama. I think getting to know someone else would be a step in the right direction for you. As things are now, everyone you know is well aware of… your particular circumstances. And while we know how to deal with it well enough, I believe sharing things with someone new might help you branch out and learn something new about yourself." She paused for a minute, choosing her words. "While I am not saying go out and find a girlfriend or something, I think meeting new people is a good thing for you. This Maya…" She stopped, obviously fishing for a complete name.

"Maya Sagara."

"Thank you. This Maya Sagara seems to be friendly enough. And you two met at a café. If you two go there often, maybe you can meet there and, dare I say, become friends."

Yumi turned her face back towards Touko, and saw the girls dark eyes gaze back into her brown eyes. She didn't even have to speak. After nine years of being soeurs with each other, Yumi and Touko knew more about each other than anyone else in the world. She told Touko everything, and she knew the girl never kept anything from her in return. It was a relationship she never really had with anyone in the past, and would never have again. There was only one Touko in Yumi's world.

And yet…

She couldn't bring herself to tell her about Maya's likeness to Sachiko.

Not because she was scared of how similar the two women were. She knew they were different people.

She couldn't tell her because she was scared of what Touko would think of her if she did.

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 5**

"So, did you reply her message yet, Onee-sama?"

Yumi turned her attention away from the television towards Touko, who just walked into the living room in a long nightshirt, her hair damp and straightened. The girl padded over to Yumi, who was on the couch, and sat down next to her.

"Not yet. I'm still not sure if I should." Yumi replied quietly, facing the television again. Just before Touko entered the living room, Yumi had turned the channel from the late news to a comedy game show. She lowered the volume just a little to allow for a quieter, more comfortable atmosphere.

"Don't be silly. Of course you should." Touko chided from beside Yumi. "I told you it was a good idea, didn't I? Would you want to prove me wrong? Me, your cute, overworked petite soeur?"

"No, of course not." Yumi laughed, shaking her head. "I just… I don't know." Touko silently put her head on Yumi's shoulder, her still-damp hair sending a small chill down the older woman's arm.

"Very well. If you are uncomfortable, then you don't have to. I don't want to make you do something you don't want to do." Touko said, her condescending tone fading into understanding. "I just want you to be happy, Onee-sama. One way or another. You know what I think."

Yumi smiled and reached her arm around the other's neck, gently holding her to her in a comfortable embrace. "I know, Touko. I know." She said, resting her head on Touko's. "I'll think about it, alright?"

"That's all I ask, Onee-sama."

Later that evening, after the television had been turned off and the front door securely locked, Yumi and Touko climbed into bed. Yumi took her usual place on the right while Touko lay comfortably on the left. Yumi smiled happily as the younger woman nuzzled in close to her and, with a soft "Goodnight", she shut off the bedside lamp.

Touko had always been a quick sleeper and, sure enough, within minutes the girl was sound asleep. Yumi always found sleep somewhat difficult to find and oftentimes ended up listening to music from her MP3 player, or reading a book to pass the time.

This time, Yumi reached over and, careful not to disturb her bed-mate, keyed her phone to life. Its LED screen cast a soft blue glow over her face and, peering to the side, Yumi saw the back of Touko's head. Just in case the light happened to wake the woman up, she was at least facing away from Yumi.

Yumi brought up her received messages and opened the most recent one.

_Yumi Fukuzawa-san,_

_It was lovely meeting you today! You are an interesting person._

_I want to apologize again for spilling coffee on your coat. The stain should be gone, but if it is not let me know and I promise I will replace it for you._

_I wanted to ask if you frequented the cafe we met at often. Do you? If you do, maybe we will meet again._

_Have a lovely evening!_

_Maya_

Pressing her lips tightly together, Yumi pressed the 'reply' toggle and slowly typed out a response.

_Maya,_

_Thank you for your message. It was very nice meeting you today, as well._

_It's really no big deal about the coat. I want to thank you again for going through the trouble of cleaning it. I wouldn't have been able to do it that quickly… or that well, for that matter._

_As for that café… I actually go there pretty often. If you do as well… then I'm sure we will meet again._

_Have a good night._

_Yumi_

Swallowing as quietly as she could, Yumi hovered her thumb over the send toggle. Her heart pounded uncomfortably loud in her ears, and she was sure it was loud enough to wake Touko if it continued for much longer.

Was she really going to do this? Was the really going to send Maya a message? Was it bad to want to get closer… maybe to start a friendship with a girl who looks just like Sachiko? Was it wrong? Crazy? Would it hurt in the long run? What would people think, if they were to find out?

"To hell with it." Yumi said, and pressed the send button. At once, the notice 'Message sent' appeared with the date and time underneath it.

Taking a slow, steady breath, Yumi put her phone into standby mode and replaced it on her bedside stand.

As she relaxed her head back into her pillow, she felt Touko shift her body beside her. In response, Yumi pulled herself closer to the warmth coming from the younger woman and yawned tiredly.

It had been a very long day.

At least it was over.

0 – 0 – 0

**UPDATED 12/18/13: Grammar, word and sentence correction (9,700 words)**

A/N: Hell yea! 9,700 words! How do ya like them apples! Want I should keep up long chapters? :-P

A few notes: I lost my USB over the weekend and about popped a blood vessel because I had about 6000 words of the chapter on it, and it wasn't backed up on my desktop. Luckily, my coworker picked up the USB and I got it back on Monday. The world is again safe. Now my crap is backed up. You live, you learn.

As the light novels of Yumi's senior year have yet to be translated, and I am far too lazy to read the Japanese raws, Touko's petite soeur, Aya, is a product of my creation. Obviously, so is Maya, but she definitely would NOT be in the novels. Just run with me on this. If anyone is less lazy than me and actually had encountered Touko's soeur in the untranslated novels (if she is ever mentioned), then please feel free to correct me politely :-) Aye?

I can feel through the force than quite a lot of you are like "Whaaaa? An OC will take the place of our beloved Sachiko?!" The force is indeed strong with you all to have reached me all the way here in China, but you could still be mistaken. I will tell you NOT TO WORRY! Just hang in there and I promise you all will NOT be disappointed. I don't wanna spoil anything so... *shhhhhh*

Peace! See you on the next chapter! (if you all haven't abandoned me by then T.T)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. I only own this little piece of non-canon drama. For what its worth.

Hey guys! Thanks to Coot, Insomniac1970, 11, CelticX, Enemy32, Serenityskywalker, and 102992 for your reviews! I really appreciate them! And thanks yo all those of you who Favorited/followed the story! I am endeavoring to not disappoint you!

Lez go!

**The Princess and the Sparrow**

**Chapter 3**

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 1**

One of Yumi Fukuzawa's favorite aspects of her home was not that is was particularly nice, or well-designed. It was, but that wasn't what Yumi liked best about it. If someone were to ask her "What do you like best about your home?" Yumi would smile, a satisfied sort-of smile, and reply with a definite-

"Its orientation."

At sunrise, the sun would rise in the east, over the houses on the opposite side of the street, and shine directly into Yumi's bedroom window. If the window's curtain was pulled back, a clear ray of warm sunshine would hover just beside Yumi's bed.

Most days, Yumi would just be waking up as the sun rose and she would just lay there, watching as the sunlight crept across the carpet towards the bedroom door. It would stop just before reaching the doorway, and it was at that time Yumi would pull herself out of bed and start her day.

On days where she actually had to do things, that is. On other days, she would simply go back to sleep. She was her own woman, after all. She could do what she very well liked.

This particular morning, however, Yumi lay in her bed under her warm quilt, Touko still sleeping soundly beside her. It was Saturday morning and aside from an afternoon plan with Yoshino and Rei, followed by a dinner with Yumi's family, she and her petite soeur didn't have much to do that day. They had the entire morning to themselves.

How long had it been, Yumi wondered, since both she and Touko had an entire morning to themselves?

Too long, really.

Just as Yumi started to decide how to spend the the morning, she felt Touko stir on her left. The girl shifted beside Yumi and, rolling her head around to face the older woman, cracked open one bleary eye.

"Onee-sama?" She croaked sleepily.

"Hmm?"

The girl tried to lift her head up off the pillow and hold it, but failed, letting it fall back with a soft grunt. "What time is it?" Came the muffled question. Yumi cast her eyes around the room and let her vision rest on her wall clock.

"Quarter past seven. I was just wondering what to do this morning. Any ideas?"

"Mmm... sleep."

Yumi had to laugh at that. It was so very 'Touko'. To all outwards appearances, the doctoral student was a near-perfect example of a 'proper woman'. She was polite, she knew how to handle all sorts of occasions (both 'fancy' as well as 'normal'), and was driven. Little did everyone know that behind closed doors, Touko was quite the bedbug. Once she got comfortable, there weren't many things that could move her.

Luckily, Yumi knew exactly what could do the trick "You sure?" She asked slowly. "Don't you even want to eat breakfast? I was considering baking some pastries."

That caused the girl to turn her head, cracking one eye up towards Yumi's grinning face. Her eye was open wide, and no longer had the tell-tale sign of sleep in it. "Pastries?" She asked, her mouth still pressed against the off-white pillow. Yumi nodded, pursing her lips happily.

"Yup. Some of Rei-sama's. She gave me the recipe a few weeks ago and I have been waiting for a good occasion to use it."

"What kind?"

"Egg tarts." Yumi replied smugly. She knew the girl loved egg tarts, and was especially pleased when her ears seemed to perk up at the idea of the sweet pastry.

"And why didn't you make them last week? Or the week before?"

"Well, both weekends you had to leave early. Today is the first day we have had almost completely free for a while." Yumi reasoned, feeling decidedly pleased with herself for holding onto this particular carrot and stick.

"Fair point well made, Onee-sama." Touko said and, with a light grunt, she pushed herself up on her hands. "Alright, I'll get up."

"Good girl." Yumi said soothingly. Touko righted herself on her side of the bed and, sitting up straight, stretched her arms above her head with a long sigh. Yumi watched the younger woman for a moment, and then pushed herself out of bed. Straightening her long T-shirt she often used to sleep in over her legs, she walked towards the door to the hallway. "I'll go ahead and get started on breakfast. You going to do your hair before or after?"

"Before. I'll come out when I'm finished with. Can I use your curler?"

Yumi laughed and opened the door. Not even bothering to turn around, she shouted over her shoulder as she turned down the hall towards the kitchen. "I bought it for you, Touko! You don't even have to ask!"

Breakfast was quiet as usual. Touko was so occupied with the egg tarts Yumi made that she barely spoke. At first, Yumi wasn't sure the recipe would go over well with the younger woman, what with the addition of cinnamon and apples to mix. But, sure enough, Rei was correct in adding to the recipe. The look Touko had as she bit into the flaky, yellow pastry was all the reward Yumi needed to attest to that.

After breakfast, the two women went to the living room and watched television (Cartoons! Kya!) as Touko worked at taming Yumi's light brown hair. First, she brushed away the sleep-induced tangles, and then attempted to gather her shoulder-length hair into two matching pony tails. After finishing her work, this time choosing a pair of indigo ribbons to tie up Yumi's hair, she sat beside the older girl and, after a few quiet minutes, cleared her throat.

"So…" She began slowly, an almost nonchalant tone permeating her voice. "Did you reply the message last night?"

Yumi heaved a sigh, making it much more theatric that was really necessary, and nodded, keeping her eyes on the television. "I did. How did you know?"

"I didn't, Onee-sama. It was just an educated guess." Touko said, her smirk audible through her tone. Again, the two woman fell silent as they watched the brightly colored cartoon characters chat away onscreen. Yumi had never really liked cartoons _that _much… but she had to admit, they were a great way to pass the time. And, occasionally, they were kind of cute.

As a commercial came on and interrupted the regular programming, Yumi shifted her eyes involuntarily towards her 'younger sister'. Was she not going to ask more about the message? Was she not interested? Or was she simply waiting for Yumi to elaborate? It wasn't as though Yumi wanted to let Touko know everything about her life. And even more so this new development of a girl that looked exactly like… well… someone Yumi was much better off not thinking about. She just wasn't sure if sharing every little bit of information about that was the best thing to do with Touko.

However, old habits were hard to break for Yumi. She had never kept anything from the younger girl, and, reaching into her robe's pocket for her phone, she figured it wouldn't really hurt to let Touko know a little more.

_As long as she doesn't find out too much, that is._ Thought Yumi, chewing the inside of her cheek as she navigated her phone to the messages. _Its fine as long as she doesn't find out about her looks._

Opening her messages, she was somewhat relieved to find that she had no new messages aside from Yoshino's latest text; which included the address of the tea house they were meeting at in a few short hours. Making a mental note to show Touko the address before getting ready to leave, she opened the short text thread between her and Maya and silently handed the phone off to Touko. The younger girl took the phone from Yumi and peered down at the words filling the screen. After a few moments, she scoffed lightly.

"No honorifics or family name? Wow… you _are_ being quite forward, aren't you, Onee-sama."

If Yumi had some sort of retort planned out, she had forgotten it in lieu of sputtering in shock at the girl beside her. For a few seconds she simply opened and closed her mouth, and then managed to force some sounds out; neither making much sense to either of them. After closing her mouth and forcing herself to calm down with some long, slow breaths, Yumi narrowed her eyes at Touko.

"It's not like that, Touko." She said, only a little too coolly. Touko's eye flashed to the side, gauging her grande soeur's reaction, and shrugged.

"As you say. I apologize, Onee-sama. It is simply how you are." She said, her cheeks coloring as she looked back to the television. Yumi relaxed and leaned back into her couch, pocketing her phone again.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you." She said softly, and then laughed. "Wow, if I can't take a little teasing, maybe we shouldn't see Yoshino-san after all."

Touko tilted her head, considering the idea. "Knowing Yoshino-sama, she would break her plans just to come here and tease you. There is no way around it."

Yumi had to agree with that.

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 2**

It turned out that the tea house Yoshino and Rei chose wasn't very far from Yumi's home. The drive itself only took about fifteen minutes, and parking only another two or three (Touko was forced to park her car, a four-door dark red sedan, in an adjacent parking lot belonging to a local supermarket). After returning to the tea house, Yumi entered, with Touko in tow, and walked up to the reception desk.

"Gokigenyou." A middle-aged woman standing behind the small desk greeted. Yumi felt a muscle in the cheek twitch at the greeting. Aside from the previous day and her unexpected use of the formal greeting, Yumi had managed to avoid both using and hearing it since graduating Lillian. Willing herself to overlook the word, she leveled a smile at the woman behind the desk. "How many are in your party today?"

"We are meeting people here." Yumi said. "Hasekawa-san and Shimazu-san?"

The woman checked her computer screen for a moment. Then- "Ah, yes. They are in room twelve now. Would you like someone to show you the way?"

"No thank you, we can manage."

With a polite bow both Yumi and Touko retreated from the entryway and went towards the game rooms in the back of the teahouse.

"Have you been here before, Onee-sama?" Yumi heard Touko ask behind her, a comfortable distance away.

"No. It does look pretty nice though."

And it did. The entire establishment was decorated very tastefully. While not very big, the layout of main room, in addition to the corridors going to different, smaller rooms, made it seem larger than it actually was. Yumi found herself noting the technique while walking through the traditional wooden hallways.

"I agree. I will have to think about bringing Aya here sometime."

"Because of all the Chinese stuff hanging around?" Yumi waved her hand, indicating the numerous decorations and paintings hanging on the walls. Most of it was recognizably Chinese in nature, whether by the writing or simply the art style. Aya, having minored in Mandarin in university, had a large interest in the language and culture.

"Yes. She might enjoy it."

"I think so, too." Yumi said agreeably and, rounding a corner, finally arrived at Yoshino and Rei's room. "Here we are." She said, stopping in front of the door. Touko stepped in front of Yumi and placed her hand on the doorknob.

"Allow me, Onee-sama." She said, turning the nob and opening the door. As she did, she stepped to the side, allowing the older girl to enter first. At once, Yumi was greeted by a rush of dark brown braids and a frantic voice.

"Yumi-san! Touko-chan! Heeeey!" The voice yelled happily. Before Yumi could even react, she was held in the petite, yet somehow vice-like grip of her best friend, Yoshino Shimazu.

"Y-Yoshino-san-" Yumi gasped against the other's hug. "You- Gah!" Even as she tried to talk, her friend gripped her tighter across her chest and back, pinning her arms to her side in the process.

"Jeez, girl! It's been too long! You need to call more, ya'know?" Yoshino said against the side of Yumi's head. "You look like you aged five years since I last saw you!"

"She might do just that if you squeeze her any harder, Yoshino." Came a cool, calm voice from behind Yoshino. Even in Yumi's panicky, strangled state, she could recognize Rei Hasekawa's voice coming to her rescue.

Slowly, reluctantly, Yoshino released Yumi and stepped back a few paces. "Yea, yea, alright." She said, a somewhat disappointed look on her face. "We wouldn't want our resident Yumi-san to get pre-maturely wrinkled, would we?"

Yumi ignored the remark and looked over her friend. Yoshino, much like the rest of the old Yamayurikai gang, hadn't changed all that much physically. She was still thin, a little pale, petite-looking, and she still preferred to sport braids. However, at the encouragement of her high school students (who knew what was popular in today's fashion), had changed her previous dual-braids into four different, somewhat shorted braids. Somewhere in the back of Yumi's mind, the part that she didn't care all that much about, she idly wondered if Lillian allowed Yoshino to have her hair like that, or if she just happened to get away with it. Nevertheless, the whole effect gave a 'younger-than-she-looked' atmosphere to the woman. Not that she was old, however- she and Yumi were both only twenty-seven, after all.

Turning her attention towards the older woman behind Yoshino, Yumi smiled at the welcoming expression on Rei's face. The twenty-eight year old physical education teacher hadn't changed a bit since high school. Aside from looking noticeably 'older', she still had short cropped hair, handsome features, and radiated an aura of grace. It was nice to know that some things never changed that much.

Yumi narrowed her eyes at Yoshino and sent a playful glare at her best friend. "I think that if I could get any wrinkles, I would have my fair share of them by now." She said tartly. "And I don't think _your _anticswould be able to top my charts, anyway." The fleeting look of embarrassment on Yoshino's face was priceless, but that's all it was; fleeting. Feeling a little sorry about her revenge on her friend, she gave Yoshino a light hug. "Good to see you too, Yoshino-san." The woman relaxed noticeably in her grip, and the two pulled apart.

After standing apart, the Yoshino leveled a friendly gaze at Touko, who still hadn't moved from her place beside the opened doorway (Had she stood away from the door on purpose?!). "Hi Touko-chan! How are ya?" She greeted happily.

"You're not going to try and glomp me too, Yoshino-sama?" Touko asked, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Oh _hell_, no!" Yoshino said defiantly, her hands out in front of her protectively. "I still remember what happened last time. I'm just lucky that didn't leave a bruise…" She rubbed her side for a moment, and then stepped back into the small room, a wide smile back on her thin face. "Well, come on in! We can start now that we have four people."

Yumi and Touko entered the room, with the younger of the two shutting the door behind them, and sat down at the two empty chairs around the square gaming table. The room itself, Yumi noted as she set her bag down by her chair legs, was small. But, even with how small it was, the layout of the game table and the chairs fit four to six customers relatively comfortably. Apparently, these rooms were made for these kinds of small group occasions.

"It's good to see you again Rei-sama." Touko said politely as she sat herself to Yumi's right. Her seat, Yumi noticed, was closest to the doorway.

"You too, Touko-chan." The oldest of the women returned. She gave her hair the briefest of flicks, and cocked her head to the side. "New Year's, wasn't it?"

"It was… though is seems like a longer time has passed."

Yumi looked between her petite soeur and the older woman, their short conversation bringing the holiday memory to the forefront of her mind. Because each of them were busy during Christmas for one reason or another, everyone decided to get together for a New Year's party a week later. It had been a great party, complete with the entire gang from Lillian Academy and then some. Yumi, Touko, Rei, Yoshino, Nana, Shimako, Noriko, Kimi Takeda (Noriko's petite soeur from school), and Aya were all there. Even Sei Satou, the eldest of them all and a fully published writer these days, attended. Additionally, they had all decided to get together at Yumi's house, much to her behest. However, even with how busy it had made her and how dirty her home became, Yumi hadn't been able to remember a time where she had more fun. Not since she had attended Lillian as a high school student.

Luckily, everyone had been kind enough to stay and help clean up the next morning. It would have been a large headache with just her and Touko.

The memory of the night brought about the glaring absence of certain members of their group to Yumi. "Speaking of New Year's…" She wondered aloud, getting the attention of the others. "Why aren't Shimako-san and the others joining us today?"

Yoshino was the first to answer. "Shimako-san said she was busy with work today." She said, only slightly preoccupied with an electronic keypad attached to the game table. "She and Noriko-chan both."

"Oh…"

"And Nana-chan?" Touko asked.

"Nana-chan had to see her parents today." Rei leaned forward, saving Yoshino the trouble of answering. "So it's just us. Unless Aya-chan…?" She trailed off, rolling her eyes around to rest on Touko. The younger girl shook her head decidedly.

"She's busy today as well."

"Ah. Too bad."

Yumi felt herself deflate a little as she watched the exchange. One of the worst parts of getting older and having more responsibilities, she figured out, was not having enough time to dedicate to yourself or your friends. Additionally, with everyone (except for Touko) already graduated and integrated into the working world, having everyone match up their schedules to meet was a rarity. While somewhat depressing at times, Yumi also knew it was how the world worked. She just had to accept it and do the best she could.

That still didn't mean it didn't hurt though, not being able to see her friends when she wanted to. Her friends meant more to her than anything else in the world. On par with her family, even.

_Well, except for Yuuki._ Yumi thought, smirking to herself. _They can keep him._

Yumi's attention was turned back towards Yoshino, who was talking to her. "I'm sorry, what was that?" She asked.

"I was asking you if you were ready to start a game?" Yoshino repeated. Yumi looked at the mahjong table in front of her, and suddenly realized that, aside from a few other empty stools and side tables, the room was empty. Where was the food?

"Uh… weren't we going to have lunch, as well?" Yumi asked tentatively. While she had never been to this particular tea house before, she had been to one like it. Food and snacks were usually quite pricy at these kinds of places.

Even as she was asking the question, she saw Rei lean down below the table, and grab her back from beside her chair. Setting the light yellow, quite likely (knowing the owner) self-designed bag on the table, Rei opened it and begun withdrawing numerous smaller packages from within. "Already taken care of." She said with a smile.

"Sandwiches?" Yumi asked, leaning over the table to get a closer look. Each package was wrapped in differently colored handkerchiefs, but the size was about right for sandwiches. Apparently, from Rei and Yoshino's matching nods, she assumed correctly.

"Indeed. I wanted to show you some new combinations I have been working on." Rei explained as she finished pulling out the carefully wrapped food. There were altogether eight separately wrapped packages. Enough, Yumi quickly determined, for two sandwiches each. "In the green is rosemary-ricotta-pesto with apple slices. " She indicated to two of the sandwiched wrapped in mint-green cloth. "In the red are cheese and tomato melts. The orange has ham and cheese focaccia with apricot sauce. And…" She finally pointed to the last pair, wrapped in a clean sky-blue cloth. "The blue has cheese and vegetable medley."

Yumi couldn't help it; she let out an appreciative whistle. "Wow, you outdid yourself Rei-sama." The older girl shrugged, but remained silent.

"And…" Yoshino said slowly, reaching into her bag. "Tada! I brought this!" With a flourish, she whipped out a large thermos. "And guess what's inside?"

"Tea?" Touko asked, her eyebrow arched.

"Duh. I meant what kind of tea?"

"Oolong tea?"

Yoshino blinked rapidly for a moment, and then glared at the younger girl. "Jeez, what are you psychic or something?" She grumbled, putting the thermos on the table and sitting down with a loud 'humph!'

"Welcome to my world." Yumi said, barely containing her laughter. It was about time someone else got the brunt end of Touko's super-intuition. Maybe, if she decided to give up being a doctor, she could have a career in being some sort of magical girl?

"Yea, yea." Yoshino grumbled, but let it slid with a wave of her hand. "So, are we playing or what?" With that she pressed a button on the keypad next to her. With a quiet 'wirr' of an electric motor, the center of the table opened.

"Uwah!" Yumi was unable to suppress the cry of surprise that escaped her lips, and immediately felt her ears prickle with embarrassment. No matter how old she got and what she went through, some of her old habits never really went away. The amused looks on all the other women in the room were evidence of that. Even as she got her breathing under control again, she watched as a full set of mahjong tiles (already lined up in a square) appeared from the inside of the table. After the opening closed again, Yumi clapped her hands together excitedly. "Wow! That was so cool! It's an automatic Mahjong table!"

"That's exactly why I chose this place. Every other place I know of makes you line up the tiles by hand." Yoshino said proudly, her nose up in the air. "I thought this was much more fun."

"Impressive." Touko agreed, reaching over for the thermos and unscrewing the cap. "Did you remember to bring cups, Yoshino-sama?" With a scoff, the other withdrew four matching teacups (light pink, plastic ones) and handed them over to Touko. "Thank you." She said, and began serving the tea to the older women.

As she carefully poured the tea and handed the cups to herself, Rei and Yoshino, Yumi couldn't help the smile of pride that crept across her face. Touko was, hands down, perhaps the best petite soeur ever. Maybe it was biased of her to say, but Yumi honestly thought she couldn't have picked a better soeur even if she had another year to pick. She had been lucky to meet Touko.

"By the way, Onee-sama..." Touko said offhandedly as she placed a teacup in front of Yumi. Yumi picked up the cup and was about to take sip- "Has Sagara-san replied your message yet?"

-when she completely missed her mouth, sending the tea dribbling down to the wooden floor, barely missing her coat along the way.

_Nevermind. I take it back. I take it all back. She is a devil. A devil who delights in torturing me. I should have gone with someone else as a soeur. Anyone else. Someone nice and cute like Aya-chan..._

"S-Sagara-san?" Yoshino said, stuttering a little. Yumi had her eyes on the table, but she could hear the surprise that permeated her friends voice. "Sagara-who? Who-Sagara? Huh?" Her questions were pretty unintelligible, but the meaning was clear.

Touko chose to elaborate. "Someone Onee-sama bumped into yesterday. I'm not quite sure as to the circumstances, but apparently this 'Sagara-san' was quite taken with Onee-sama." While Yumi couldn't see the younger woman's face, as she was looking down into her now-emptied teacup, she instinctively knew she was smiling. "It seems they are curious, Onee-sama. Shouldn't you elaborate a little?"

Yumi glanced up, and caught the others' eyes. As expected, they ranged from excited curiosity, surprise, all the way to Touko's smug amusement. She knew that her 'younger sister' did these kinds of things in good fun (usually), but that still didn't make it any less was supposed to be a secret, after all! Yumi hadn't even decided what to do about it... if anything! For all she knew, Maya Sagara would never reply her message, and never meet her again. And here was Touko, doing her damnedest to spread the news around to everyone and their mothers!

_For Maria-sama's sake_... Yumi thought, suppressing a groan as she fingered her phone in her coat pocket. "It's... nothing really big." She said slowly, carefully. "I ran into someone... Sagara-san yesterday, and we exchanged phone numbers. Well-" She corrected herself. "I gave her my business card and she messaged me a greeting last night."

"_She?" _Yoshino breathed, her dark eyes alight with excitement.

"Yes. She." Yumi sighed and poked her teacup with her finger gently. "Anyway, I replied her greeting last night. That's it." _Okay? Thats it. Let's drop it, alright_? Yumi silently slid her teacup over to Touko, her eyes narrowed in annoyance with the younger girl. Not saying anything, but keeping her thin smile, Touko dutifully refilled the cup and placed it gently back in front of the brown-haired woman.

"What does she do?" Rei asked. A good question, but one Yumi wasn't all that keen on getting into.

"She is a writer." Yumi said after a moment of hesitation. They wouldn't be able to get much off that, most likely. As long as they stopped talking about it. It really wasn't that important of a topic, anyway.

"So... she didn't reply you?" Yoshino pressed, her hands holding her chin up.

"I said that's it." Yumi said, her tone silently telling the others to drop the subject. Rei, placing a hand on her cousin's shoulder, shook her head silently. Yoshino sighed and, taking the hint in stride, attempted to change the subject.

"Alright, well…" She said, gesturing to the waiting Mahjong tiles on the table. "Shall we get started? The mall is waiting after I beat you all!"

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 3**

To no one's surprise (and Yoshino's disappointment), Touko ended up winning most of the rounds of Mahjong. This was mainly because Aya, being the person who introduced everyone to the game, was the woman's petite soeur. Needless to say she, out of everyone currently present, had the most experience.

Not to mention she was quick as a snake in grabbing matching suits from the discard pile. Even Rei, with her martial arts-honed reflexes, was no match.

After a full two hours of playing, eating, drinking, and chatting, the group left the tea house with the local mall as their next destination. Rei and Yoshino took the older cousin's honey-yellow coupe, and Yumi and Touko followed them at a safe distance in Touko's sedan. After a relatively uneventful and quiet drive (Yumi was still slightly miffed at the younger woman bringing up the subject of Maya Sagara with Rei and Yoshino), the two carpools reached the large parking lot of Shinami Mega Mall.

The Shinami Mega Mall was relatively new, only five years, and was the closest large shopping center to Yumi's house. As a result, when the woman had something to buy for work or personal reasons, she often took the bus there. The fact that the largest investor of the mall complex was, in fact, the Ogasawara group first put Yumi off going there for a full three years. But, after finally swallowing her pride in favor of practically one-stop shopping, she found the place to be overall a great place to spend time.

With friends, that is. She still refused to go there alone.

Yumi got out of Touko's car and, hoisting her bag over her shoulder, nodded to Yoshino as she skipped over to meet them. "Alright! Here we are, out for an afternoon of frolic and shopping!" The woman said, her braids whipping around in her excitement.

"Excited much?" Yumi asked, her eyebrow raised in curiosity. Whenever she and Yoshino got together over the weekend, the pair more often than not went shopping at this very mall. And while it wasn't very uncommon for her best friend to be excited about buying things, today she seemed a bit more overenthusiastic. "Got something special in mind?"

Yoshino shrugged and skipped ahead, a few paces in front of Yumi, Touko and Rei. "Not really." She said offhandedly. "Maybe a new shirt… some cute pants… a bag and some hairclips…" She ticked off the items on her fingers as she listed them.

Yumi snorted a laugh and shook her head. _How about the whole mall, Yoshino-san? _But, even as she mentally chastised the girl, she had to smile. Yoshino's enthusiasm was one of the things she loved most about her.

As they entered the mall, they were greeted by the sounds of numerous shoppers as they meandered in every direction. Some going from store to store, some exiting the mall, some simply passing by or resting as benches littered around. Most of them were families with children, as the entire area was mainly a residential district. But there were a number of younger people, students and young adults, as well as a handful of older people walking around.

Yumi stopped and spotted the directory not far off from the entrance. "There's the directory." She said, pointing. "We can decide what we want to look at and plan accordingly." As the group approached the map, Yumi heard Yoshino snicker from beside her.

"'Plan accordingly'?" She mimicked, her voice oozing sarcasm. "Since when did you turn into Touko-chan?" Yumi glanced at her friend and sighed. On Yoshino's other side, Rei shrugged and smiled, a clear sign of apology towards Yumi.

Before Yumi could even muster a comeback, however, Touko was right there with her cool, modulated tone. "What I believe Onee-sama means, Yoshino-sama, is that she and I are meeting her family later for dinner. Because of that, we do not want to spend all day here. Because it is already quarter to three, we can only spend about two hours here before we have to leave." It was said simply and matter-of-factually, leaving no room for discussion.

"And there you have it." Yumi said, stopping in front of the mall directory. "Should be alright though; I only have a few things I want to pick up anyway."

Yoshino grumbled and crossed her arms over her chest, her lips puckered in mild disappointment. After a moment, she sighed and lowered her arms. "Tch. Fine." She said. "I want to go here, here and here." She pointed to a few different stores. Each one happened to be on the second floor of the mall.

Rei stepped up to the map and sighed thoughtfully. "I'm pretty open to wherever you want to go." She said after a moment. "I don't have anything I particularly need. I'll follow you guys." Yumi nodded and turned her head towards Touko, who had a thoughtful expression on her face.

"Did you have anything in mind, Touko?" Yumi asked. Touko scanned the directory for a while, and then turned to the rest of the group.

"Not particularly, Onee-sama. I did have a reference book I wanted to find, however." She pointed to a general-use bookstore on the third floor of the mall. "I think this should be alright. I need a reference book for one of my courses. While I don't think I can't find anything at this particular bookstore… it's worth a look."

Yumi nodded and turned back to the directory. "Well, in that case, I think Touko can go ahead and look for her book while the three of us-" She looked at Yoshino and Rei on her other side. "Peruse through a few shops on the second floor." Yoshino and Rei both nodded, and Yumi turned back to Touko. "Do you want to come and find us after you look for your book? Just call me and I'll tell you what store we are in."

"That sounds fine, Onee-sama. I'll see you soon." Touko said and, with a short bow to the trio of older women, she took off towards the nearest escalator, leaving the others in a slightly bewildered state.

After a few moments, Yumi shrugged and cleared her throat. "Ah well- she'll call me when she's done. Shall we hit the first shop?"

Yumi was never a very great shopper. Yes, she was a girl. And yes, she loved a cute pair of shoes as much as the next… well, maybe not as much as those girls that frequent _Shibuya_ but… one would get the idea. But, the point was that if Yumi didn't have someone there to point out what was fashionable and not-so-fashionable, she would likely get a pair of pants that went out of fashion a number of years ago and not realize it until she noticed the younger women snickering at her. She didn't really care, most of the time. After all, she spent most of her time either at a drafting board, sleeping, on her couch, or out with friends.

And it's the 'out with friends' part that mattered most to her. She didn't really care what she wore when she was on her own, but Yumi wouldn't be caught dead in the act of embarrassing her friends by dressing like she was still in college. Not if she could help it.

The only problem with buying new clothes was…

"Yuuuumi-san! Try this! Oh no, no, no! This! Or maybe this? No, that doesn't match your eyes. You should try this instead! Eww- that looks like a box of crayons threw up on your chest. Next!"

As Yoshino dashed from rack to rack, her arms laden with seemingly random articles of clothing ranging from tops, to trousers, to coats and the occasional scrap of underwear (which would earn the overenthusiastic woman a sardonic groan from Yumi, and a headshake from Rei), Yumi had to admit that as a shopping-mate, no matter how much she loved the girl, Yoshino could definitely improve. Even Rei seemed to know this as she watched from a safe distance, occasionally glancing over at the younger women and laughing softly to herself.

And that was when Yoshino didn't try and overstep her boundaries. Unlike this time.

"Y-Yoshino-san… seriously, I think you can slow down." Yumi stammered, holding her arms across her chest defensively. Yoshino held a top in her hand, a rather _skimpy _one at that, and was inching her way towards Yumi with a wolf-like grin on her face. "We still have lots of time to look around."

But Yoshino wouldn't have any of it. She shook her head and, if at all possible, her grin became more menacing. "Oh _no_, Yumi-san." She whispered as she closed in. "I have waiting a long time to get you out shopping. We are getting you into some _hot_ outfits!" Yumi backed up and turned to run out of the store, but was deftly held in place by a pair of firm hands on her shoulders. She turned to look up and saw Rei, smiling her usual warm smile down at her.

"R-Rei-sama?" She gasped. "Not you, too?"

"Sorry, Yumi-chan. You know how she can be." Rei shrugged, but held her grip on Yumi's shoulders. "Best to just let it happen."

Suddenly, it occurred to Yumi that Yoshino and Rei had likely planned this from the very beginning. The calling her last night, inviting her out for the day, starting at the tea house to put her off guard… it was all for this. They wanted to get Yumi some new clothes. And probably clothes that she wouldn't have picked out herself.

She should have been mad. She should have been put out by her friends' subterfuge. But, as she felt herself pulled towards the changing rooms by Yoshino (Rei followed them, her arms full of clothes), she felt happy. Happy her friends cared about her enough to do so much for her. Happy that they could spend their valuable time with her. Happy they stayed with her so long. Happy that they loved her.

Smiling, Yumi let herself be forced into the large dressing room. After all, for the love of her friends, she could put up with being their dress-up doll.

For just this once, at least.

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 4**

"Hey Yumi. Nice to see you, Touko-san." Yuuki greeted as Yumi and Touko stood at the front door to Yumi's parent's house. He eyed his sister and Touko for a moment, and then stepped aside, allowing them to enter.

"Thank you Yuuki-san." Touko said as she followed her grande soeur inside. "It is nice to see you again."

Yumi led the way into the kitchen, were her mother and father waited. When she entered the large room, her parents immediately got to work welcoming their daughter home.

"Yumi! Touko-chan! It's so good to see you!" Yumi's mother gushed happily, scrambling off her oven mitts and catching both of the younger women in a hug. "I haven't seen you since Christmas!" The woman said to Touko, who was coloring a bit at the attention. "And you!" She stepped back and glared at Yumi, her hands on her hips. "You need to come home more. I know you have your own home but _honestly_! I thought I raised you better than that!"

Yumi shrugged and turned to her father, returning his soft smile. The eldest Fukuzawa didn't bother to get up, but waved at the two women. "Evening Yumi. Touko-chan. Dinner will be ready as soon as your mother stops scolding you and finishes the fish." At his comment, his wife whirled on him, her finger pointed directly at his nose.

"Don't encourage her! It gets lonely here, being the only woman in the house."

Yumi laughed and walked over to the sink, turning on the tap and washing her hands. "I'll help finish dinner, mom." She said. After drying her hands, she looked at Touko. "Touko, how about you keep my father and Yuuki company? There should be some tea somewhere around here…" She trailed off with a wave of her hand. Touko walked over to the cupboard near the stove and opened it, peering inside.

"Still the same place, Fukuzawa-sama?" She asked, even as she grabbed the box of tea from the shelf.

Yumi mother gasped and put her hand over her chest. A very theatrical gesture- one Yumi couldn't help but notice with a grin. "Touko-chan! How many times do I have to tell you?" She asked, her tone appalled. Though humorously so. "You're family! You must call me 'Mommy!'" Yumi's father chuckled a bit at that, and walked out of the kitchen into the living room.

"Of course, Fukuzawa-sama. I know that." Touko laughed. She carefully filled the teapot with water and placed in on the stove, flicking on the heat with a turn of the dial. "If Onee-sama tells me to, I will." She said, throwing a glance at Yumi out of the corner of her eye. Yumi's mother turned to Yumi, who had begun working on the fish beside the sink.

"Well?" The older woman pressed her daughter.

"Absolutely not. Touko's mine." Yumi replied smugly. "If you want another daughter, you should talk to Dad about that." She had to stifle the giggle that threatened to escape her as her mother grumbled something about 'being too old' and joined her daughter at the fish.

Dinner was fairly lively at the Fukuzawa household, as opposed to the relatively quiet atmosphere at Yumi's house. With both Yuuki and their father there to talk 'work', as well as their mother present to chat with both Yumi and Touko, there was obviously a lot of conversation going on around the dinner table. It was all fairly normal and manageable to Yumi. That was, until the topic of their new project was brought up.

"So, I heard you guys landed the Onoga contract." Yumi's father said, his tone satisfied. "I'm proud of you two. With that job, we should be set professionally for a good long while."

Yumi's eyes reflexively shot towards Touko, who was calmly stirring a bowl of miso. Touko, being the only daughter of the Matsudairas, grew up with a general knowledge about the business practices of her family, as well as close relatives to her family. While Yumi knew Touko's family was at _least_ two or three, maybe even four, members removed from the Ogasawaras, it still didn't mean the girl was completely out of the professional loop. Could she be familiar with Onoga? Would she know about their cooperation with the Ogasawara Group?

What would she say or think if she knew?

From the lack of reaction from the girl, Yumi assumed that she didn't in fact know. At least there was one less thing to worry about.

"Yea! It was great!" Yuuki said excitedly after taking a swallow from his glass. "He wants a summer home, so I don't think it'll be all that difficult. Right Yumi?"

Yumi eyed Touko for a few more moments, and then turning to her father and Yuuki, shrugging. "Probably not. I haven't designed anything quite that large yet, outside of The Sims." She added, giggling a little. In her many meetings with Aya, she had gotten her hands on the video game 'The Sims', which she had spent many long hours on her computer at home with. Her favorite part was, unsurprisingly, designing new houses using the program. "But I should be able to handle it."

Her father nodded thoughtfully. "More than one story?" He asked, more to Yuuki than Yumi. Yuuki, after all, handled most of the project details.

"Dunno yet." Yuuki shrugged. "It was just yesterday. Later next week is when I'll hammer out all the details and get more info about the client's ideas."

Yumi poked her portion of fish with her chopsticks, more out of boredom than hunger. "Just let me know when you have it. You can drive over to my place and give me the details. I'll get to work on it right away."

"No problem." Yuuki said decidedly. Their father nodded at the exchange, happy that his children worked so well together. Their mother looked equally as happy as she silently went back and forward between her children. After a few moments, Touko cleared her throat.

"So after the new project begins, will you be very busy, Onee-sama?" She asked, her eyes flashing towards Yumi.

The older girl shrugged again. "Not sure. You'll be the first to know my schedule."

Touko nodded after a few long moments, content with the older woman's answer, and continued quietly eating. Yumi's shoulders relaxed and she released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Luckily, from what it seemed, all Touko was concerned with in Yumi's new contract was that she had free time.

And, secretly (or not so secretly), that's pretty much what Yumi cared about as well.

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 5**

Touko was usually a quiet driver. When in the car with her, the only sound one would hear would be the sound of the radio, idle conversation between passengers, or the ambient sound of the engine as it hummed quietly. As the doctoral student put it after she got her license, "If you have the time to talk, you have the time to pay attention to the road." Yumi, having gotten her license the year before Touko did (but still didn't have a car), more or less agreed with her.

But, Yumi being Yumi, didn't really like silence. It wasn't like the hated it, but it just bugged her. Silence was one of those things that seemed to pick at your subconscious until it drove you crazy. Like Chinese water torture, that blinking light that flashes at you while you try to sleep, or an annoying little brother. It was because of this that whenever either Yumi or Touko drove, she would try her best to strike up some sort of conversation. It didn't really matter what, as long as Yumi could talk to alleviate the silence.

But, for this drive back to Yumi's home, Touko was being her characteristically quiet, composed driver. Yumi tried to prod some sort of response from the younger girl a few times, but the most she was able to get was a few noncommittal grunts.

Touko pulled up to a red light, and Yumi was starting to feel more uncomfortable with the silence until her petite soeur finally spoke. "Onee-sama, were you planning on telling me about the contract with Daisuke Onoga-sama?"

Yumi blinked in mild shock at the girl sitting in the driver's seat. "Daisuke?" She asked slowly. Only a moment after saying the name, it all clicked into place. Onoga. Daisuke Onoga. Her client. Of course Touko knew about him. Why wouldn't she? She knew everything.

"Daisuke Onoga-sama, yes. The head of the Onoga Financial Organization. They work in part, or mutual cooperation, with the Ogasawara Group. Started thirty-two years ago by Daisuke Onoga-sama's father, Honda Ogona-sama, they grew to operate from central Japan all the way to the Hokkaido region. Ten years ago, they partnered with the Ogasawara Group in order to broaden their influence around different parts of the country and further their development into the private sector." All of this was said while Touko stared straight ahead, her eyes on the road. The light flicked green and she accelerated, silence once again reigning in the car.

After passing another whole block, Yumi finally decided to speak. "I was going to say something to you. But, it was only decided yesterday and… well…" She floundered, shrugging her shoulders. "I was going to say something." She settled on those words, holding onto them like a lifeline.

"I'm not angry, Onee-sama." Touko said softly. "I just want to be clued in on what you do. I know you have your own life-" She gripped the steering wheel tighter, her eyes never leaving the road. "I just want to be a part of it. I want you to _let me_ be a part of it."

"I know, Touko. I want you to be part of my life as well. Believe me- I want you to know everything." Yumi said. She knew Touko was a strong girl who was fully capable to doing just about anything she put her mind to. But, at the same time she knew how vulnerable the younger woman could be. Yumi knew, better than anyone else in the world, what Touko could and could not handle. "You are everything to me, Touko."

Touko slowed her car and pulled up to another red light. This time, she turned her head towards Yumi, looking into her eyes. The look she had was stern, but at the same time held a concern that caused Yumi's heard to pump painfully in her chest. "Then, do you have anything else to tell me, Onee-sama?" She asked.

Yumi stared back at Touko for a long while, both not looking away from each other. Yumi felt the thumping in her chest as she pondered what to say, if anything. What did Touko want? Did she want her to tell her more about the meeting with Onoga? What kind of man was he? Why they accepted the job? Did Touko not want Yumi to have anything to do with the Ogasawara Group at all?

Or was it something else?

Did she feel that something was wrong with Yumi? Did Touko know something that Yumi did not? If so, what?

Yumi slowly shook her head. "N-no… I don't have anything else to tell you."

Touko considered Yumi's answer for a moment, and then nodded. With the light turning green again, she pushed the car silently forward. Another quiet fifteen minutes later, she pulled her car into Yumi's driveway, and shut off her engine.

"I'm going to go see Doctor Kimigura tomorrow morning." Yumi stated, looking out of the window. It was a clear night, but there still was some loose snow around; generally on the grass and the random planters littering the side of the roads. Tomorrow was just as likely to be as nice as that evening. "It's a little early but… there are some things I want to talk to her about."

Touko turned towards Yumi, a slightly surprised look on her face. "Really? Are you feeling alright?"

"I'm alright. I just…" Yumi shrugged again. "Would like to talk to her about some things." If Yumi could hear herself in a recording, even she would know she was being obvious. But, there wasn't much she could really do about it. Touko, luckily, was clever enough to not ask too much of her grande soeur.

"I see." Her eyes drifted down to her lap, a suddenly self-conscious expression creeping into her features. "Do… you want me to stay another night?"

"Eh? N-no!" Yumi waved her hands in front of her. "You don't have to do that. You need to go home and prepare for your meeting with Aya-chan tomorrow." Suddenly, she laughed. "Besides, you don't even have a fresh change of clothes."

"I can always wash them." Touko said pointedly. "You _do_ have a washing machine, Onee-sama."

"No, seriously Touko. You should go home tonight. I'll be fine. I was just going to do some sketching anyway."

Touko eyed her 'older sister' for a few long moments, and then nodded shortly. "Very well. I shall do just that. I will tell Aya you said 'hi', and that you would like to see her soon."

Yumi smiled and opened her door, stepping outside into the cold air. "Sounds great. Then, have a nice night." Touko nodded again, her lips in a tight smile. Yumi was about to shut the door when she caught herself, seeing the somewhat hurt expression on the girl's face. Touko wanted to be part of her life, and knew everything about it. On the other hand, she had many other parts of her life that she needed to juggle. Her family, her schoolwork, her job, Aya… not only Yumi.

But still.

"Touko." Yumi said softly. The younger woman looked up from her lap and locked gazes with Yumi.

"Yes, Onee-sama?"

"Could you pick me up and drive me to Doctor Kimigura's office tomorrow?"

Touko smiled; a bright smile that, in the soft glow of her car's interior lighting, allowed Yumi to barely make out the woman's flushed cheeks. It was a smile that showed others that Touko knew she was being helpful to her Onee-sama. That she was part of her life. That she was there, going through all the fun times as well as the hard times, together with Yumi. A smile that filled Yumi's heart with a comfortable warmth, even as the chilly January breeze did its best to cut through her winter coat.

After rubbing her check with her right hand, Touko nodded and cleared her throat. "If you like, Onee-sama."

0 – 0 – 0

**UPDATED: 12/25/13 - Initial update (8,600 words)**

A/N: And so chapter three is up.

I kinda liked this chapter, because lots of people made appearances. Yoshino, Rei, Yumi's parents, her brother... blah blah. I'm hoping to lengthen other characters (not just Yumi, etc) bits later on in the story. I'm trying to make this one slow-paced for plot reasons. Lets see how it'll turn out! *CoughgoodCough*

Some of you might be wondering why I'm spending so much time with Yumi and Touko and building their relationship. Not to spoil anything, its because Touko is an important character to Yumi's development as the plot goes along, and I want to properly set up Yumi and Touko's soeur relationship. Its not romantic (which most of you figured out), it's just close. Plus, I like Yumi and Touko ^_^ Nepotism? Maybe. Bleeeeh!

Ah, one more thing. There was one or two queries about when Sachiko will make an appearance. I wont really spoil anything, but I just wanna say this story is mainly about Yumi and her growth as a person to get over what happened in the past. That doesn't mean she will forget about Sachiko and move on, and it also doesn't mean she will go crawling back to her (or the other way around). Just stick with me and you'll be surprised (maybe). Sachiko _will _show up, though. I just won't say when.

The next chapter will be Yumi's visit to her psychologist! Maybe some past information about Sachiko will be shared? Only time will tell!

Peace!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. I only own this little piece of non-canon drama. For what its worth.

Hey guys! Thanks to Insomniac1970, Enemy32, 102992, EAnil and any guests for your reviews! Seriously, you all kick a$$! And thanks yo all those of you who Favorited/followed the story! It makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. You know... like some sort of care bear... or something... =.=

Off we go!

**The Princess and the Sparrow**

**Chapter 4**

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 1**

What was it about visiting the psychiatrist, thought Yumi as she stared out of the passenger-side window of Touko's sedan, that filled one with a sense of depression and anxiety? Was it because you often talked about things you didn't necessarily _want _to talk about anywhere else? Wasn't that the whole point of going to a therapist, though? To talk about things you usually avoided to get them off your chest? God, if that was true, where do the psychiatrists go to get things off _their _chests?

Those people must get paid a fortune.

Yumi distantly felt the car pull to a stop in front of a short, two-story building. The dull, rust-colored bricks had a good amount of soot and dirty snow encrusted on them. Somewhat odd, Yumi mused as she trailed her eyes around the foundation of the old building, because just the other day they had a fresh flurry of snow. Shrugging to herself, she turned towards her driver. "Thank you for the ride, Touko." She said, giving the woman a smile.

"Of course, Onee-sama." Touko replied, returning the older woman's gesture with a thin smile of her own. "It was my pleasure." She leaned forward and cast a glance up at the building Yumi would be entering in just a few minutes. "What time it your appointment again?"

Yumi cast a glance at her wristwatch, twisting her hand around in order to properly see the dial. "Eleven." She said. "I still have a good twenty minutes." Touko nodded and sat back in her seat.

"Want me to stay with you until your appointment begins?"

"No." Yumi said firmly, her tone chastising. "_You_, Touko, have your own appointment to get to. You need to go and meet Aya-chan. And I'll be damned if you are late for that sweet girl because of your crazy Onee-sama."

Touko's dark eyes flashed and she opened her mouth as if to argue, but shut it before she even began. She shot the older woman a soft glare, one Yumi knew that meant 'You, Onee-sama, aren't crazy.' There was silence in the car for a long minute, and Yumi felt the sudden sensation of a mildly annoying prickle in the back of her neck. She reached up the scratch the area, but it wouldn't go away. It just dulled slightly. After another moment, she heaved a sigh.

"Sorry, Touko. I didn't mean that." She apologized. "But seriously. Don't be late to see Aya-chan. She may cry."

The other was silent for another few seconds, and then relaxed. "I suppose you are right. She is quite prone to outbursts like that." She said with an airy snort. She glanced at the dashboard clock and pursed her lips, making a few quick calculations in her mind. "Do you want me to pick you up afterwards then?"

Yumi considered the offer, but shook her head in reply. "Nah. I'll snag a bus back home. It'll give me a good opportunity to... what did Kimigura-sensei refer to it as?" She snapped her fingers and waved her other hand around the car's interior dramatically. "Ah yes. Reflect. It will give me a good opportunity to reflect on the session."

Touko nodded, accepting Yumi's decision. "Alright then. I'll call you tonight, Onee-sama."

Yumi opened her door and, grabbing her purse, slid out of the car. "Sure. Say 'hi' to Aya-chan for me." She said as she moved to shut the door.

"Of course." Touko said, smiling. "Have a good day."

With a muffled 'whump', the passenger door closed and Yumi stepped back from the car. Touko gave one last wave and directed the car out of the small parking lot. There Yumi stood for another few seconds, watching the car until it rounded a corner out of her vision. Then, taking a deep breath, she walked in the front door of Emi Kimigura's office.

The interior of the office was vastly different from the exterior. From the outside, and how old the building looked, one would assume the building was more than fifteen years old. But, when the building was leased out it underwent a large amount of interior decorating and renovation. The outside was left well enough alone, due to the building regulations in the surrounding district. However, the inside was another story. The inside was all new, modern, and attractive. The main lobby was a mix of soft cream colors and grays, typical of most offices, and filled with assorted sculptures and paintings. These, Yumi had learned after a few initial visits, were all owned by Doctor Kimigura herself and were used to elicit a feeling of relaxation to her patients as they waited for their appointment to begin.

Squaring her shoulders and straightening her coat, Yumi approached the front desk.

"Ah! Good morning Fukuzawa-san." The receptionist, a young-looking and attractive woman, said. She smiled widely as Yumi stopped in front of the desk. "Here for your appointment?"

"Ah... yea." Yumi said after a moment's hesitation. Just what else _would _she be there for, anyway? "I'm still a few minutes early, though."

"That's alright." The other said. "Kimigura-sensei is just finishing up some work from her last appointment. If you don't mind waiting, she should finish soon." She gestured towards the few couches that littered the room, indicating that Yumi should make herself comfortable. Yumi nodded and chose the couch she usually sat at while waiting for her appointment to start.

Sighing to herself, and realizing that she had been sighing _a lot_ these past few days, Yumi made herself comfortable on the edge of the couch. After setting her purse between her leg and the armrest, she glanced at the digital wall-clock. She still had roughly ten minutes until eleven.

Slowly bringing her eyes around the room, she idly took in the environment. Nothing had really changed from her last visit. The esoteric pieces of artwork were still hanging around, the somewhat outdated magazines (which seemed, to Yumi, to be in almost every doctor's office around the world) were still there, the same friendly receptionist...

Yumi had, at one time, considered chatting up the somewhat younger girl sitting behind the desk. Obviously no older than twenty five, maybe fresh out of college- or at least by a couple years- the girl was quite pretty. Short cropped black hair, round dark blue eyes, a thin but still approachable face... it had taken but a single time of idle conversation between her and Yumi before she realized that she just wasn't ready to move on yet. That had been about a year ago, and Yumi had not tried again with the girl since.

And speaking of girls…

Yumi narrowed her eyes at the cover of a magazine perched just beside her, on a coffee table to the left of the couch. It was a popular magazine aimed at fairly young, high school and college-aged women. Not that she often read it; in fact, she sometimes leafed through copies second-hand from Touko's petite soeur, Aya (the girl had a subscription). The articles were fairly interesting… but other than that, Yumi didn't go out of her way to read it.

As she stared at the model on the front of the magazine, she surprisingly found herself thinking of how similar she looked to _her_. Same hair color… same eyes… same face… God damn! Why was Yumi suddenly seeing that womaneverywhere she went! First with Maya Sagara the other day… now in magazines! Did the universe want to drive Yumi insane?

Yumi grimaced and looked away from the magazine, instead choosing to stare blankly at a piece of modern art on the wall opposite from her. After a moment, she began to wonder why she even came in for an appointment a full week before she usually did. Was it because of the new project with Daisuke Onoga and how closely his business works with the Ogasawara group? Was it because of her surprise meeting with Maya? Was it because of h_er_?

Maybe all three.

Still though, Yumi didn't really know why she had suddenly scheduled a weekend session with Doctor Kimigura at such short notice. Surely anything bothering her with the Onoga project could have waited? And the thing with Maya… well, nothing was likely to come up from that. It was a fluke. A fluke that wouldn't happen again.

Out of idle interest, Yumi pulled her phone out of her coat pocket and keyed it on. The bright screen flickered on and Yumi navigated to her messages. The latest one was an email from both Yoshino and Rei, commenting on the outing the previous day. There was an attachment on the email that Yumi hadn't noticed before, and she pressed the download toggle. It only took a few moments and, silently thanking Japan's up-to-date 4G cellular service, Yumi opened the attachment.

Yumi felt her cheeks burn at the picture that popped up on her screen.

Apparently, Yoshino _hadn't_ deleted all the pictures she had taken yesterday! Yumi had specifically told her friend that dressing her up in skanky (what she would call skanky, anyway) outfits was all well and good… but not to take pictures for posterity!

And Yoshino had promised, too…

Yumi had half a mind to call her best friend and scream her ear off, but instead decided to wait and get Touko in on whatever revenge she was going to work out. That might be overkill but…

Yumi took another glance at the picture on her phone. She had never shown so much skin before in public, and probably never would for that matter. If this picture were to ever get out on the internet… Yumi would likely have to commit seppuku on the spot.

Overkill be damned. Yoshino was going down.

A sound from across the room jolted Yumi's attention back to the present. She looked up from her phone as the door to the inner office opened. From the inside stepped a woman dressed in a smart, ash-grey business suit, her auburn hair tied up in a ponytail. At once, Yumi recognized Doctor Emi Kimigura. She took a quiet breath and waited for the older woman to notice her. For a few seconds, the woman's bright eyes scanned the room, and then landed on Yumi. Smiling widely, she walked up to Yumi's couch and stood straight, her arms held behind her back passively. "Good morning, Fukuzawa-san." She said, her well-modulated voice was gentle and welcoming. "Are you ready to begin?"

"Yes..." Yumi sighed and, powering off her phone completely, she followed the doctor into her office, giving a friendly nod to the pretty receptionist as she passed her desk. The Doctor stepped to the side as she approached the doorway, giving Yumi a clear gesture to enter before her.

"I'll be just a moment. I need talk to Makiko-san." She said. "Just sit anywhere you like." Yumi nodded slowly and walked into the room. As she crossed the threshold, she realized that Makiko must be the receptionist's first name. Embarrassingly enough, she had never once gotten to learn the attractive younger woman's name.

Maybe she deserved to be a screw up with romance forever.

The inner office was much the same as the waiting room. Shades of off-white and gray, various pieces of artwork, ranging from classic pieces to the more modern styles Yumi had grazed over when she attended art school. At the far end of the office was Doctor Kimigura's large desk. There was a desktop computer in the middle of the desk, with papers stacked neatly on either side of the machine. On one side there was a large bookshelf laden with an assortment of books, ranging from medical textbooks to different collections of artwork. Yumi assumed the art books were filled with Kimigura's favorites, but she never followed up her assumption. She had always meant to but… she had never gotten around to it.

Across from the bookshelf, on the other side of the office, was a large fish tank. Yumi walked over to the tank and leaned forward to get a closer look. Inside were various species of freshwater fish. They lazily swam around the plants floating in the clear water, whereas one or two of them seemed to take an interest in Yumi as she pressed her finger up against the glass.

"Hey guys." She said quietly as a small, orange fish followed her finger on its side of the tank. "You doing alright?" She idly wondered if the doctor ever got bored and talked to her fish when she was alone in her office. Maybe she had psychoanalyzed each and every one of them at one time or another. Smirking to herself, Yumi decided that if she had a pet, that's what she would likely do.

The door opened once again, prying her attention away from the fish tank and towards the returning doctor. The older woman cast a speculative glance over the scene before her as she strode over to her desk. "You're not going to eat my fish, are you, Fuzuzawa-san?" She asked, placing a folder on her desk and turning fully back to Yumi.

"No, no. But I was thinking about it." Yumi remarked, hiding a laugh behind her hand. "I saw a great recipe for freshwater fish on TV the other day." The older woman raised an eyebrow at Yumi and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I forbid you to eat my pets." Her eyebrow arched high. "I don't have patient-eating-my-own-fish insurance. If such an event were to occur, I would have to ask you to pay for replacements." She smirked as she joined Yumi at the fish tank. "And I do not think you would like to do that. Some of these are _quite_ expensive. Imports and all…"

Yumi took a step back and shrugged. "I never could understand the fascination with expensive, exotic pets."

"It's a taste thing, I suppose." The doctor returned, facing Yumi as she walked away from the tank. "I like fish. But I don't go overboard with them. At least I am not like those people that choose to dress up their dogs or cats in bright pink coats and shoes. _I_ don't even have the temperament to figure out why people do that." Yumi laughed and nodded at that. That was why she liked Doctor Emi Kimigura. She was smart, collected, and always spoke her mind. She never failed to get Yumi to open up with her own thoughts in the process. Maybe, she thought as she sat down on a couch beside the Doctor's usual chair, that was the entire point of Emi Kimigura's style of treatment.

A little odd, from what she knew about psychiatrists. But at least in Yumi's case, it was effective.

The doctor took another moment to linger beside her fish tank, watching Yumi as she made herself comfortable on the couch, and then took a seat in her chair next to Yumi. "So, how are you recently?" She asked.

Smiling at the cliché start to the session, Yumi shrugged. "Alright, I guess." Which, of course, was stretching the truth. If she was really 'alright', she wouldn't have scheduled an early session. Emi knew this, of course, but knew enough to not press for information. "I just… have some things I'd like to talk about." There, thought Yumi, that was simple enough. Right?

"Alright." The Doctor said. She shifted her position so that one leg was crossed over the other. "What would you like to talk about, Yumi-san?"

"Mmm." Yumi made a noise, as if thinking about where to start. "I guess, I want to talk about the new project Yuuki and I landed."

"Oh?" Emi's eyebrows lifted, her eyes widened slightly. "A new work contract?"

In spite of herself, Yumi smiled. "Yea, Yuuki used his incredible charisma to land a contract with Daisuke Onoga, of the Onoga Financial Organization." Yumi stopped and watched the Doctor for a reaction of some kind. When there wasn't any, she continued. "Anyway, it would be all well and good… if it wasn't for the connections Onoga-san has."

"And what connections might those be?" Came the question.

"Uh…" Yumi wrung her hands together uncomfortably, a gesture that was not unnoticed by Emi. "The Onoga Financial Organization works with the… Ogasawara group."

"Ahh." The Doctor drawled, a hint of a smile playing about her lips. "I see now." She discreetly shifted her legs again, this time the left dangled lazily over the right. "And I would hazard a guess as to say that Yuuki-kun didn't say anything until last minute?" Yumi laughed at that. The woman was too smart; much like Touko was most days. In fact, Yumi had on more than one occasion made comparisons between Emi Kimigura and Touko. Their intuition was the same, anyway.

"I didn't find out until we were there meeting Dasike Onoga-san in person."

"That must have been fun."

"Oh yea." Yumi said with a snort. "I was mad for a while at Yuuki, but then I thought 'whatever'… there's no point in staying mad. It's just business, anyway."

Emi cocked her head to the side. "What is just business? Working with Onoga-san or being mad at your brother and co-worker?"

Yumi laughed again. "Both I guess." She sat forward and put her elbows on her knees. "I mean, working with Onoga-san is just business. It shouldn't matter who he deals with professionally. His company works with the Ogasawara Group. Fine. That doesn't mean I am."

"True. And so are you fine with it?"

No. Yumi wasn't fine with it. Truthfully, is she could spend the rest of her life and never have anything to do with the Ogasawara Group or its affiliates it would be a life well-spent. But, considering her contacts and past relations… it was a life she would never really have. She accepted the fact that she was essentially part of the Ogasawara family… regardless of how her relationship with its members was now. She could never get fully away from it. But that didn't mean she was fine with it. "I guess so." Yumi finally said. It wasn't an outright _lie_, but it was close enough. She crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. Again. "But it doesn't mean I am really happy about it. They are a client. I have to treat them with respect and be professional about it."

The therapist laughed softly. "Now you are stepping into the professional world of service and clientele. There will always be clients you don't necessarily want to work with. You just have to buckle up and deal with it as professionally as you are able."

Yumi looked up and cocked an eyebrow at the slightly older woman. "You too? Do you have clients you don't like working with?"

Emi smiled, a secret-sort-of smile, and winked. "Now, now, Yumi-san. I can't tell you about my patients, can I?"

"I guess not." Yumi acquiesced. "Anyway, the thing with Onoga-san is only part of what I wanted to get off my chest." Emi leaned back in her chair and laced her fingers together, her face taking on a somewhat contemplative look. She didn't speak, so after a few moments, Yumi continued. "I also… met someone the other day."

The doctor pursed her lips and arched an eyebrow. "Met someone?" She echoed thoughtfully. "Meaning?"

"I mean, I-" Yumi clicked her tongue in frustration and reached up to her neck, scratching it. "Well, I guess I'll start at the beginning…"

Emi Kimigura listened at Yumi explained her chance 'run-in' with Maya Sagara earlier, and the resulting message from her that very evening. The doctor stayed silent during the explanation, and nodded at certain moments. She seemed surprised when Yumi told her about replying to the message, but chose to keep any comments to herself. When Yumi stopped to gather her thoughts, Emi leaned forward, her face serious.

"And what do you think about that? Why did you choose to bring it up in here?" She asked slowly, carefully.

Yumi licked her lips. "I think… I want to get another's perspective on the situation." Suddenly, she laughed. "Then again, I don't think there _is_ a situation. I mean, I really don't think anything will come from that. I likely will not see her again."

"No?" Emi voiced. The question was simple and quick. Yumi started at the suddenness of it.

"Uh… I don't think so?" She supplied nervously. "I mean… I don't know. Why would anything come from that?"

The Doctor cocked her head to the side. "It sounds like you want something to happen." It wasn't a question this time. Yumi gave the older woman a defeated smile.

"No idea. Touko wants me to get myself out there and make a new friend. I agree with her that it may be a good thing, but…" Yumi trailed off, waving her hand around.

"Well, I agree with Matsudaira-san." Emi said. "It would be good for you to meet new people. But the way you are talking about this woman, Sagara-san…" She shrugged. "It sounds to me like you are thinking about something more. Despite the fact that you just met and, as you say, may never see her again."

Yumi shook her head, suddenly serious. "No, I really don't think it's a good idea for anything more than a friendship." She wasn't really sure if Emi was thinking along the same lines as Yumi was in this conversation, but it wouldn't hurt to be specific. "A relationship, especially with a girl I just met… is out of the question." Emi eyed Yumi for a few long moments, and then her face relaxed somewhat.

"Well, I am happy that you recognize that. However, I am not saying a relationship is out of the question, Yumi-san." She held out her finger in front of her face, catching Yumi's attention. "In fact, it may help your recovery along the same lines as a new friendship. I just want to stress that you must be ready for something like that. If you think you are ready, then you are ready."

Staying silent for a few long moments, Yumi contemplated her next words. After taking a steady breath, she finally spoke. "But… the thing is… Maya Sagara looks _exactly_ like… Sachiko Ogasawara.

Emi blinked once. Twice. A third time. Her lips curled up into a small smile and the leaned back in her chair again. "Ah." She simply said. After that, silence reigned again in the room.

Yumi took the Doctor's silence as cue to continue. "I was shocked at first. I mean, here I was, going about my normal day. And I run straight into Onee-sama! Of course I was shocked." Yumi wrung her hands together. "I couldn't even speak at first. I mean, you know what was going through my head? 'Why was she there?' 'What was she doing in Japan?' 'Why was she acting so normal?' It wasn't until after I found out she wasn't Onee-sama that I felt horrible because I had said some mean things to her…"

"Mean things?" Emi asked. "What things did you say to her?"

"Uh… I said something like, 'What was she doing here?', 'Go back to England'…" Yumi shrugged. "Things like that. But it's the tone I used that embarrassed me. I was really angry, thinking that she was Onee-sama."

"You said those things because you thought Sagara-san was Ogasawara-san?"

"Yes. She then said I must have mistaken her for someone else… then showed me her ID card." Yumi laughed bitterly. "It was a stupid mistake. Honestly… mistaking someone completely innocent for Onee-sama-"

"You keep calling her 'Onee-sama', Yumi-san." Emi noted, cutting Yumi off. "Even though you haven't seen Ogasawara-san or heard from her in almost ten years. Why is that?"

Yumi opened her mouth to answer that it was a habit, but then shut it again. Was it a habit? Shouldn't it, even as a habit, have been broken years ago? There was a time in university that she still referred to the Ogasawara heiress as 'Onee-sama'. But since then, Yumi (everyone else included) refrained from either talking about Yumi's Onee-sama, or when they did, used her full name. Even Yumi used her name since then. The first time she said the title 'Onee-sama' in a very long time was just the other day when she met Maya Sagara.

What did that mean?

Emi took Yumi's silence in stride, waiting patiently for the younger woman to answer. After a few long minutes, Yumi sucked in a breath and did the best she could. "I think…" She said slowly. "It's because I still think of her as my grande soeur. No matter what happened, no matter how angry I may be, I still think of her as my 'Onee-sama'." She pursed her lips and looked up at the Doctor, who had her eyes leveled back at Yumi's. "But that doesn't mean I am over anything." She said decidedly.

Emi nodded. "I understand, Yumi-san." She shifted her legs again. "Then, if I may, do you think the fact that Sagara-san's physical similarity to Ogasawara-san have anything to do with your apprehension to starting a friendship with her?"

"Maybe." Yumi finally said after a long pause. "I know they are two different people. Their personalities are pretty different, from what little time I spent with Maya-san. But the fact that they look alike…" She trailed off, a suddenly embarrassing thought occurring to her. "Um… do you think it's weird for me to want to be friends with her?"

"Not at all, Yumi-san." Emi said with a smile. "Sure they look similar. But as you said; they are two different people. That fact remains true."

"Right." Yumi swallowed, another uncomfortable feeling creeping into the back of her head. She looked just like Sachiko Ogasawara… but she wasn't her. A friendship was one thing. It was safe. It was normal. "Two completely different people."

Emi and Yumi looked at each other for a few long moments, neither woman saying anything. What was there to say? So much had been said already, both in this particular session and in the five years they had known each other. Yumi had told the Doctor so many things about herself, she had the feeling that, aside from Touko, Emi knew about her more than any other person. So really, what else could she say?

"Yumi-san." Emi said, uncrossing her legs and sitting up straighter.

"Hmm?" Yumi blinked and stiffened, matching the Doctor's posture.

"How long has it been since you have written in your diary?"

The question made Yumi's stomach churn. "Why?" The words came out before she could even stop herself.

"I was curious." Emi said, her tone backing up her claim. "I think that, maybe, if you look back through it, you may come to some sort of realization about your feelings toward Ogasawara-san and… maybe… your idea of a friendship with Sagara-san."

"What sort of realization?" Yumi couldn't keep the icy tone out of her voice. Emi knew what was written in her diary. She knew exactly what she was asking of Yumi. The question was, why?

"That is entirely up to you." Emi said with a light shrug. Yumi couldn't help but notice how cryptic the advice was, but chose to overlook it. She simply crossed her arms over her chest, willing her annoyance to dissipate.

"I'll consider reading through it again."

Emi nodded, her smile returning. "It may help, is all I am saying."

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 2**

Yumi knew the whole point why she waved off Touko's earlier offer of picking her up from the doctor was that she could 'reflect', as Doctor Kimigura put it, on her session. That, and so Touko could actually spend time with someone other than Yumi for a change. But, as she sat in the bus, staring out of the window at the passing pedestrians, cars, and light posts pass her by, she was acutely aware that she was not reflecting at all. In fact, barely anything that was talked about barely an hour earlier registered to her. The contract with Onoga… meeting with Maya Sagara… all of that was shoved into the back of her brain as the most pressing thought reared its ugly head.

Her diary. And the fact that Doctor Emi Kimigura wanted Yumi to dig it out and read it again. She knew exactly where it was, of course. Finding it was not a problem. The problem was the book itself. The book, and its contents. Yumi had long ago buried that book in her closet, fully intending to leave it in there, forgotten, until she moved out. When she did, she may have even thought about leaving it there. She didn't want it to follow her around like some kind of reminder from her past. That's what it _was_, but still...

Yumi turned her head around, casting her eyes around the bus. It wasn't very crowded, but there were still people standing instead of sitting. A few older people, both men and women, and some assorted younger students. Two girls, Yumi noticed, were wearing winter uniforms from a local school. She didn't really recognize the design, but from the ages of the girls, she Yumi guessed they were likely in high school.

She watched the pair of girls lean in close together. One of them, the older one from the looks of her, whispered something into the other's ear, and the other, the younger girl, laughed, one hand covering her mouth while the other hand grasped her friend's elbow.

Yumi pressed her lips together tightly and turned away, looking back out of her window. Had she been like that when she was in school? Had she been… so happy looking?

"_Onee-sama!"_

Yumi started and her eyes flashed back towards the couple, her heart suddenly pounding painfully in her chest. The girls were still chatting quietly together as though nothing was different. Suddenly, the younger one stepped back and laughed, playfully hitting the other's arm.

"Oda-san!" She cried as she laughed. The older girl, apparently named Oda-san, returned the younger one's playfulness with a soft shove in return. Yumi watched as the pair finished laughing and pressed close together again, continuing their conversation.

After a few long moments, Yuki clicked her tongue and glared out of the window beside her. "Tch- Yea… right." She hissed to herself.

Maybe once she was happy like that… but not anymore.

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 3**

Yumi opened her front door and shut it roughly behind her, ignoring the loud 'bang' of wood on wood. She slid off her coat and dropped her purse unceremoniously beside her shoes, which she kicked off without too much effort.

Not really caring about tidying up the dirt and soot she brought into the entryway, Yumi made her way down the hall and into her bedroom, her eyes immediately falling towards her closet door. Her closet was fairly large; just short of being a walk-in. It was generally where she put her larger articles of clothing: coats, suits, dresses (the few she owned), and some old boxed of things she wanted close at hand. The rest, she had put into storage a couple years ago, right after moving in.

Opening the door and flicking on the light, Yumi waited until her eyes adjusted to the incandescent light bulb dangling from the ceiling. It didn't take long, and when she could properly see into the closet, she knelt down and began to riffle through the boxes on the floor. A few boxes of shirts, some old sweaters and sweatpants, a larger box of bed linens, all Yumi pushed aside as she went deeper and deeper towards the back of the closet.

Soon, she found what she had been looking for.

"Found you, you little bastard." She breathed and clasped the small box. She wiggled her way back out of the closet, and stood up in the more spacious area of her bedroom. Taking a moment to brush her trousers and arms free of dust, she walked over to her bed and sat down. "It's been a while, huh?" She said, holding the box gently in her hands. The box, wooden and light brown, was small; only about the size of a textbook. Yumi knew it didn't really hold much inside, but she also knew it didn't have to hold a lot to be important.

Taking a steady breath, she opened the box and looked down at the contents. Inside were only a number of photographs, some scraps of paper, and a small, leather-bound book. Yumi worked moisture into her mouth and picked up one of the pictures.

In the picture was a girl. The girl, maybe eighteen or nineteen, was smiling at the camera. Her long, dark hair cascaded down behind her head, giving the impression that she was older and more mature than she actually was. Her eyes, dark and intense, shone with an intelligence that matched her face.

Yumi pressed her lips tightly together and picked up another picture. This one, the same girl was depicted together with another girl; a younger-looking Yumi. They pair were pressed tightly together in order for the picture to come out well. Yumi, her face flushed pink, was smiling brightly. Her smile was matched equally by the other girl.

Shaking her head, Yumi replaced the picture and picked up one more. As she found one and turned it over to look at it, she felt her fingers freeze and her chest pound. On the picture was a scene she would never forget. A scene that, to this day, filled her most beloved dreams and haunted her most horrible nightmares. Yumi was in the picture. She stood straight, her face lowered slightly in embarrassment. She was standing before the same older girl that was in the other pictures. The older girl had her hands wrapped skillfully around Yumi's old Lillian Academy necktie, and was straightening it. The two girls were in front of the statue of Maria. Sun brightly light up the trees in the background, giving the overall impression that the picture was taken at the perfect time, in the perfect place. To all intents and purposes, it was. This had been Yumi's favorite picture for almost three whole years.

Until the day she graduated Lillian. Until the worst day of her life.

"Onee-sama..." Yumi heard herself whisper. Slowly, she reached her hand out and pressed her index and middle finger to the older girl's face. After a moment, she blinked back the tears that were threatening to form and dropped the picture back into the box. Looking at old pictures wasn't going to help her. That wasn't why she dug out her memories.

Willing her hand to stay steady, she picked up the book from the box and gently tossed the box to the other side of the bed, where she couldn't look at it. She turned her attention back to the book and clasped it tightly in her hands, remembering the feeling of the soft leather. She hadn't held the book in at least two years, but now that it was there in her hands, it felt like only yesterday that she last wrote in it.

Why was she doing this? Would looking through it really help at all? Why now? Why not next year? Or never? What was Doctor Kimigura's goal in having Yumi go through her most negative and destructive thoughts?

Suppressing a sudden shiver that crept up her spine, she opened the book to a random page. Of course, her words were still there. Somehow, she was hoping the ink would have disappeared in the past couple years of not being read. "Damn" She sighed. Now she would have to read it. She flicked through a few pages, recalling the methodology in which Doctor Kimigura had her write in. Everything should still be in chronological order from her graduation to the most recent entry. So all she had to do was start at beginning and see how far she could get.

Yumi flipped to the first page of the book and took a deep breath. Shifting her position on her bed to a more comfortable one, she licked her lips and began to hear her own voice narrate as she read.

0 - 0 – 0

**Part 4**

**_From the diary of Yumi Fukuzawa: Entry 1_**

For many people, graduation day is the day you remember for the rest of your life. You graduate from your childhood and take the first step into being an adult. You progress forward, with your friends and family, into what you hope will be the next great adventure of your life. It is a great day that is filled with many laughs, happiness, as well as tears. Laughs with your friends. Happiness at the accomplishment you made that day. Tears because you know you may never see some of your friends again.

My graduation day from childhood into adulthood was filled with tears. But these weren't the happy tears of knowing you are growing up. These weren't even the tears of parting with your friends you spend our high school career with. These were tears that were shed because the love of my life tore my heart out that day.

The worst part wasn't even that. It might have been fine if she had ripped my heart out and then still wanted to be friends. Or even see each other anymore. I mean, we were soeurs after all. I could live with any decision she made, just so long as she was in my life. If she wanted to break up, that's fine. I still wanted to be her friend. Her sister.

But no. It wasn't enough just to be my sister I guess.

Anyway, I'm just bitter. Let's continue.

That morning was strangely not all that dissimilar to the previous years' graduation day. I woke with my eyes feeling much better than they had the previous night (which I had spent crying, much the same as last year). I knew that, even though today I would be graduating, it didn't mean farewell. It was just another step to take in life. Much like the word 'Gokigenyou' meant 'Hello' as well as 'Goodbye'. Today wasn't a goodbye. That had been my main consoling factor before finally acquiescing to sleep behind my swollen eyelids.

Sleep wasn't really as restful as I would have liked either. I slept uninterrupted, for what it's worth... but my dreams were full of the reminder that my friends, my petite soeur and I were going our separate ways (for the most part). When I finally did wake up, earlier than usual of course, there was much work to do to make herself presentable as the graduating ex-Rosa Chinensis.

"Honestly, Yumi... is this a re-run from last year, or is it just me?"

I turned from my starting contest with the bathroom mirror (I lost... )to find Yuuki leaning against the door jam, a sardonic smile plastered on his dumb, baka-face. I knew why he was there, though, so I couldn't find it in me to snap back at him. He knew me all too well. "It seems so, huh?" I smiled and turned back to the girl in the mirror. Her brown eyes stared back and she tried hard to force a smile out. "It's really for different reasons though."

That much was true. Onee-sama wasn't really the reason I was upset. In fact, next semester she and I would be back in the same school! That was exciting! The depressing part was now I would be separated, even just a little, from Touko, Yoshino and Shimako. That was the main reason I was sad.

Yuuki nodded towards me and took a step into the bathroom. I glanced over the girl's shoulder in the mirror and gave my brother a once-over. His brown hair was lightly brushed and, besides the small cowlick in the back of his head, he was all but ready for his own graduation. Being a boy must be so easy. Did you know they don't even have to sit down to pee? Lucky.

For a few long moments, neither of us spoke. There was no real need to. He must have known why I was still nervous. And his... well... nothing needed to be said. "Will Sachiko-san be there today?" Yuuki said, breaking the silence.

"Yea..." I said, nodding, albeit reluctantly. "We pulled some strings and were able to get both Rei-sama and Onee-sama in to watch the ceremony itself. But, she said something about having to go to a meeting with the heads of the Ogasawara Group this morning. She will make it there as soon as she is able. So it's likely that only Rei is actually coming to the ceremony. But then everyone is going to go out to celebrate afterward."

"Will Touko-san and the others be allowed to? I thought the underclassmen had a curfew? And since when do you drink?" Yuuki said, snickering slightly. I scoffed and tugged at my hair with my fingers.

"We aren't celebrating_ that_ way, stupid." I said, throwing him a glare. "We're just going out to a cafe or something." Yuuki nodded in understanding, though he still had a dumb-looking smirk on his face. After another moment, it occurred to me. I whirled around and stood up, my finger pointed directly at Yuuki's nose. "And it's not Sachiko-san. It's Sachiko-_sama_! If you think I'm going to let it slide again this time, You've got another thing coming!"

Yuuki shrugged, but at least had the grace to look somewhat apologetic. "Alright, alright. Sorry! Make sure to greet Sachiko-_sama_for me. Now move; I'm taking over." He said, gesturing me out of the door with his hand. "You pulled this crap last year and if I have to count down from a minute again, I will!"

"Ehhhh?" I groaned, feeling my face fall. Indeed, as he said, this whole thing seemed strangely similar to the previous year. "But I haven't even done my ribbons yet!"

Yuuki looked as though he was inclined to argue the point, but then, surprisingly, relented. He took a step forward and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Alright. I was only joking. I have to go anyway... some council stuff." He shrugged nonchalantly. "At least, my last day of council stuff. Good luck today, Yumi. Just smile, alright?"

I returned my brother's smile and gave him a wave as he left the bathroom.

That's right, I thought as I looked back in the bathroom mirror. The girl was still there, looking right back at me. Today was a happy day. It wasn't goodbye. I should just smile.

It's what Onee-sama would do.

I left the house on time (even with my mother's repeat of the Shinto flint and steel fire purification ceremony from last year), and arrived at the front gates of Lillian in time for the beginning of classes. I barely had time to greet Yoshino and Shimako before we were sat down in our classes and reminded the entire process of graduation. First, we would be presented with the graduation flowers in our classrooms by the second years. With a smile, I remembered how lucky I had been to be able to pin a flower on my Onee-sama the previous year. I wondered if Touko would be able to do the same for me this year.

The flower-pinning ceremony came and went. I didn't see Touko, but a second year named Kaiko Masuto pinned a flower on my chest. I felt bad that I didn't know her, but I was happy when she said "Congratulations on your graduation, Rosa Chinensis." Somehow, hearing it from someone else made it seem more real for me. I don't really know why.

After that, we proceeded to the gymnasium and, after a farewell speech from next years' Roses, we would receive our diplomas. I remember speculating with Yoshino and Shimako before the ceremony about how Nana, Noriko and Touko would structure their speech. It would undoubtedly be more impressive than ours had been the previous year… and assuming another bee didn't have its way with them, the trio should be able to pull off quite the farewell speech.

The speech was delivered, and much to my embarrassment (with equal parts pride), Touko delivered a devastatingly incredible speech accompanied by Noriko and Nana. I actually cried when Touko delivered the final line. It was something about wherever one goes, always remember that one has a family at Lillian. I don't really remember. It was a cliché and sort of campy line. But, the fact that _my own_ petite soeur delivered it with such intensity and clarity... Well, I remember crying a lot at that point.

After that, I don't really remember the ceremony itself. Not that it wasn't moving or a happy moment. But because of what happened after… it was just kind of pushed out of my active memory. Yoshino and Shimako remember the ceremony. So, if I ever get nostalgic, I can just ask them to fill in the gaps. That's enough for me.

Rei had made it to attend the diploma awarding ceremony, but Onee-sama didn't. She had told me the previous night that she had a meeting with the heads of her family's company, and that she would be able to come, she just didn't know when. I believed her, and waited for her at the front door of the Rose Mansion. The others were all chatting with friends, classmates, saying goodbyes, and finishing what they all needed to finish. All I could think of was meeting Onee-sama.

What a damn fool, I was. I say that now, but at the time, I had no idea. Neither did Onee-sama, for that matter… but that doesn't make it any better. I am still mad at myself for being stupid and naive. I just needed to write that out. Damn.

I must have waited for a good half an hour or so. Maybe an hour. I wasn't really paying attention. When I did finally look up and see her, Sachiko Ogasawara, approaching me, my heart fluttered a little in my chest. I can still remember that final feeling of utter relief and happiness. It will probably be a feeling I remember for the rest of my life. A feeling I never want to forget.

That's the truth. Even now, years after she broke my heart. I still love that feeling of utter happiness she gave me.

"Onee-sama!" I called out, waving my hand. "I graduated!"

The smile she gave me, the forced, sad smile, made me falter. I had seen that look on her face before, but at the time, I couldn't really remember where or when. It only made the light, fluttery feeling in my chest cease. She took long, steady steps towards me and, after a few quiet moments, she stopped in front of me.

"Onee-sama?" I asked slowly, not quite sure how to take the tense atmosphere that now surrounded us. It wasn't quite the meeting I had envisioned earlier. She was supposed to be happy, right? I was supposed to be happy. "I… graduated." I tried again, a little less enthusiastic than before.

This time, Onee-sama nodded, her sad smile still on her lips. "En." She said softly. "I know. Congratulations, Yumi. I am very proud of you." In all seriousness, she did sound sincere. But, even with how naïve I was… I knew something was wrong. I just didn't have the courage to ask. Instead, all I could do was stand there, fidgeting under my grande soeur's sad, apologetic gaze. Eventually, the silence became too stifling, because she took a long, slow breath. I took one as well, preparing for… what? I didn't know. "Yumi…" She began.

"Don't say it." I heard myself say. Don't say it? Don't say what? What was she even going to say?

"I have to, Yumi." Onee-sama said, her tone going from sad to firm. "I…" She faltered, pressing her lips tightly together. "I am leaving Japan." Even seeing her face, even knowing she would tell her bad news, it still didn't prepare me for hearing those words from her. It was too outlandish, the thought of her leaving. I must have heard her incorrectly.

"Leaving…?" I asked, my voice sounding completely clueless. "Leaving where?"

"Japan. I am leaving Japan, Yumi." Onee-sama repeated, her face as pained as her voice. "I am going to England next week."

"Why?" I heard myself ask. It was the only think my mind could come up with at the time. It was all too sudden.

"The current head of the Ogasawara Group in the UK passed away a few days ago." She said. "The executives in Japan called a meeting today to decide whom would go and take over. I… was chosen." Out of all the things running through my head… Why you? You are a freshman in Lillian University; not even done with school yet. You have a family here. Why not someone else? Someone more experienced? Someone who doesn't have ties here? What about your school? What about your mother and father? What... what about me?

None of them came out of my mouth. The only thing that did was-

"I see."

Silence fell on us again. Neither of us knew what to say. Should we say goodbye? Should we try and fight it? Can we? Was the decision final? Did Sachiko even try and decline? Why us? Why was this happening to us? Why are you leaving me? Don't you love me? Can I go with you? Don't leave me alone! I don't want you to leave! Don't go!

Through all the thoughts in my head, I distantly felt a single tear slide down my cheek. I would have reached up to wipe it away, but Sachiko beat me to it. She walked up to me and, gently pressed her finger to my cheek, catching the tear before it fell onto my graduation robe. I barely noticed as she took her hand from my face and began to fix the tie on my robe. It was all so familiar, I couldn't even stop the laugh that slipped out.

"How long." I asked, my voice all but trembling.

"I don't know, Yumi. I was chosen as a long-term head of the United Kingdom Group." That was it. That was how it was. That was how they decided things. No arranged marriage. Oh no… nothing like that. Instead, something even worse. With this, Sachiko and I would be on opposite sides of the planet. How could we still be together like this? Thinking back on it now… the answer was obvious. I just refused to see it.

"So… what happens now?" I asked her, trying hard to avoid her dark blue eyes.

"I-" Her lips trembled, giving pause to her voice. "It means this is goodbye, Yumi."

"Goodbye…?" I echoed her, trying to word out. It tasted horrible on my tongue. "Why does it have to be goodbye?" Honestly, I am surprised I was still talking. Maybe it was the shock of it that kept me going.

"Yumi, we cannot keep this relationship being so far apart from each other." Onee-sama said. It was painful to hear. I remember another tear sliding down my face. This time, she didn't reach out and wipe it away.

"Why not?" I asked quietly.

Sachiko took a step back, just out of arms reach from me. "Yumi, I-" Her voice tripped, a small sob escaped her lips. "I just can't. It would be too difficult. For both of us. What we have… I just can't accept being away from you. I just couldn't stand it. So, this is goodbye."

I blinked, more tears spilling from the corners of my eyes. She didn't make any sense to me. She couldn't accept being away from me? So she was leaving? What did that mean? Did that mean she still loved me? Did that mean she was being forced? Just what was happening? "I can't go with you?" My voice was quivering. Onee-sama shook her head, a tear finally sliding down her own cheek.

"No." She simply said.

"I see." I said again, my tone hollow. Was this really happening? Why? Was God really this cruel? What did I do to deserve this? Could I do anything at all?

"Goodbye, Yumi."

I looked up in time to see Onee-sama turn around. "W-wait." I managed to call out. She stopped, turning her face back towards me. Even though my vision was blurred by the tears that were then unabashedly falling, I could still make out her sad, apologetic face. Her dark blue eyes, shining with tears. Her long, black hair, blowing slightly in the warm breeze. "Onee-sama-" I stammered. "I love you... don't go."

She stared back at me for a long moment. She made a movement as if to turn around and return to me, but then she simple bowed her head. "Gokigenyou." She said and, not looking back, she ran towards the entrance to the school.

For a long time, I stared at her retreating figure, even after she disappeared. For a long time, I stood there, barely taking enough breaths to keep myself from collapsing. For a long time, I cried, no longer feeling the tickle of tears as they fell down my cheeks, staining my graduation robe. After a while, I was kneeling on the ground, sobbing aloud. I could hear myself crying, but I could do nothing to stop it. It just came out. My sobs mixed with painful words to form a language I, and I am fairly certain no one on this Earth, could not hope to understand. All of it happened too quickly. Everything was said too fast. But one thing was certain. Sachiko was gone. Onee-sama was gone. It was over. I couldn't do anything, so I knelt there, crying in front of the Rose Mansion.

"Onee-sama!" I heard a voice from far off, but didn't really recognize it. It was odd, I thought at the time. Onee-sama was gone, wasn't she? Why would Onee-sama come back when she just left? What good would that do?

"Onee-sama!" I heard it again, closer this time. Yet again, I remembered that Onee-sama just left. Leave me alone. Onee-sama was gone. There was no Onee-sama here.

Finally I felt a pair of hands on my shoulders. "Onee-sama!" I heard the call again and, this time, I looked up weakly. I blinked away some of the blurriness to see Touko kneeling down in front of me. Oh, that's who was calling 'Onee-sama'. I was her Onee-sama, wasn't I? That made sense.

Silly me.

"Onee-sama…" Touko's voice was quiet. Her eyes, usually a sharp and intelligent, were rounded and soft. Her lips were pulled down in a worried frown. Somewhere in my mind, I thought to myself that this was a very different Touko than the Touko I knew. She brought her hand up and wiped her thumb across my cheek, trying but failing at cleaning up the mess that was most likely my face.

"Touko-" I hiccupped, biting back another sob. "She's gone." I didn't say who. She probably knew anyway.

My petite soeur looked at me for a long time, and then nodded. "She just told me a few minutes ago." She said, her lips pulled down into a deeper frown. "She just left the school. Do you want to go after her?"

Hearing her say it just made it worse. She was gone. She left. It hurt to think about and sent another sob from my lips. Go after her? Why? She wanted to leave, didn't she? It's not like she wanted me to follow her, right? This wasn't a game of cat and mouse. She was really leaving.

"She's gone…" I sobbed, lowering my head. "Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone." The word repeated itself in my head and in my ears, as if it were the only thing that mattered. In a way, it was. My felt Touko's arms wrap around my back and her face press on the top of my head. Past my sobs, I heard her voice, soft and quiet.

"Onee-sama… I want you to count from one to one hundred." She said. "Until you do, you cannot move from this spot."

If I had been thinking clearly, I would have laughed at the irony of the situation. Touko had just told me to do the exact same thing I told her the previous year, when she had been upset. After I had first offered my rosary to her and asked her to by my petite soeur, she had taken it as a sign of pity, thinking I knew about her family issues. Later, she had vocally lashed out at me, and I bade her to count from one to one hundred. Until she did, she couldn't move. It was a good way to calm oneself down.

And here she was, one year later, telling me to do the same thing. It would have been funny, if I wasn't half-delirious with rejection.

"One." I whispered.

One year of being together as lovers. That's what Onee-sama was throwing away. For no other known reason than obeying what her family-run company told her to do.

"Two."

The two of us were always together. Ever since becoming soeurs, I felt as though we were made for each other.

"Three…"

Almost three entire years of knowing each other. I thought I knew her more than anybody else. Except maybe Youko, her grande soeur. I had thought she knew me best, as well. If so, she must have known how I would take this. So why did she do this?

"Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine…" I whispered, my voice all but trembling. Each time, my counting growing louder as my grief came bubbling up to the surface. Each number reminded me of her. Each number reminded me that it was indeed over. Each number made it worse.

"Ten." "Ten."

This time, I felt Touko's hands grip the back of my shirt as I said the next number. Her voice mixed with mine as I counted. She brought her face down and pressed her cheek up against my own. I could barely register the slight warmth and wetness against my face, either from my own tears or hers.

"Eleven." "Eleven."

As I counted, I listened to the sound of her voice with mine. She counted with me, not missing a single number as the counting went higher and higher. She cried beside me, her hands wrapped tightly around my shoulders and back, sharing my sadness. I could feel her shoulders shake slightly with each number, each breath. Eventually, my hands found their way up and wrapped themselves around her back. I pulled her in closer and cried into her shoulder.

"Fifty." "Fifty."

Higher we counted. More we cried. I have no idea how much time passed while we knelt there in front of the Rose Mansion. I have no idea if anyone saw us. I have no idea if she or I said anything besides numbers. It didn't matter. All that mattered was her voice in my ear and her arms wrapped around me.

"Ninety..." "Ninety..."

We were almost there. We were almost finished. I knew when we reached one hundred, we would let go of each other and then both stop crying. But even then, I knew it wouldn't really end. I now knew that, even though the counting would end, Touko would still be there. She would always be there for me. She would be there to comfort me in sadness. Congratulate me in success. Be there when I needed her, as I knew she would be.

And, in turn, I wanted to be there with her. I wanted to do what my Onee-sama did not. I wanted to be there for her like she was there for me. This wasn't a goodbye. There was no goodbye between us. Because Touko was my soeur. Because she was my sister.

"One-hundred." "One-hundred."

Happy graduation, Yumi.

0 – 0 – 0

**Part 5**

Yumi shut the book silently and tossed it to the side of her bed. She lay there for a long time, unmoving, and stared at her ceiling. She watched as the ambient light from outside her window dimmed from bright yellow, to orange, and finally to the deep purple and red of twilight. She listened as her wall-clock ticked on second after second, minute after minute. She didn't move, didn't go to sleep. She just lay on her bed, thinking about what she had herself written in the past.

After what seemed like hours (perhaps it actually had been hours), Yumi felt her stomach grumble painfully. Realizing that she had skipped lunch, she pushed herself up from her bed and walked out of her darkened room. She walked down the hall and stepped into kitchen. Opening the fridge out of habit, she peered around to see what she had available to eat.

Eggs... ham... turkey... tomatoes... some leftover mashed potato and brisket from two nights ago. None of it seemed really all that appetizing at the moment.

Shutting the fridge quietly, she stepped over to the hanging cupboards beside the fridge and took a look inside. There were a number of perishable and nonperishable foods inside, mostly canned, and it took Yumi only a moment to decide on a container of instant noodles.

There. Quick, easy, and unhealthy. Perfect.

Yumi began to boil some water in the kettle and took a seat at the kitchen island to wait for it to finish. It didn't take very long, and as soon as the electronic kettle clicked off, Yumi snatched it off its cradle and poured a generous amount into the noodles' paper container. Not even waiting for the boiling water to properly cook her dinner, she took the noodles and walked out of the kitchen.

Her first destination was the living room. She sat down on the couch and placed the container of noodles in front of her. She sat back and eyed the unpowered television for a few long moments, not quite decided if she should actually watch anything.

Cartoons? No.

Drama? No thanks.

Horror? Gah… who was she, Yoshino?

Forgoing the choice of watching TV, Yumi took her noodles in hand again and walked back out of the living room, instead returning to her bedroom. She entered the dark room and flicked on the light with her free hand. Actively avoiding looking at the book and box of pictures on the far side of her bed, yumi chose instead to sit on the opposite side of the bed, closer to her nightstand and her closet. There she sat for a while, just holding her food and not quite brining herself to start eating.

Just what the hell, thought Yumi as she stared into the noodles in her hand, was the whole goddamn point of that?

The sudden buzz from her phone almost made Yumi drop the container of noodles. She shot her eyes over to her nightstand and leaned over to get a better view. From the LED screen, she could make out the name 'Touko Matsudaira' as the caller. Careful not to spill the noodles (which she still hadn't even touched), she picked up her phone and pressed the 'answer' toggle. "Hey." Her gruff, tired voice came out from her throat, surprising herself more than a little.

There was silence on the line for a few moments, and then- "Good evening Onee-sama." Touko's voice came through, as cool and controlled as ever.

"Hn. Hey Touko." Yumi replied softly.

"How are you this evening?"

Yumi pressed her lips together, holding back yet another sigh. She had been doing that a little too much recently and would probably do well to try and stop. "...Fine."

"Have you eaten?" Touko asked after a few more moments.

Yumi held up her fork in her free hand, gesturing to no one in particular that she was in the process of eating at that moment. "Uh... yea. I made some noodles." So she hadn't finished eating them yet- so sue her. She was tired.

"That is good." Her petite soeur said from her end. There was another pause, and then she cleared her throat. "How did your appointment go this morning?"

Yumi grimaced inwardly. There it was. She knew it wouldn't have taken Touko long to ask about it. Not that it was a bad thing for the woman to ask about Yumi's visits to Doctor Kimigura's office... Touko always did. And Yumi never failed to talk to her 'sister' about it, either. But the fact that Yumi had gone through her diary after made today's visit slightly more... taxing. Taxing and more difficult to talk about.

"Uh... It went fine..." Yumi said, not all that firmly. It was a half-truth at least. The appointment itself was fine, anyway.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Again, yes and no. She did, and yet she didn't. Just what _could_ she talk about? Should she mention her talk with Emi about the Onoga contract? The situation, if there was a situation at all, with Maya Sagara? Or...

"I..." Yumi trailed off. In truth, she really didn't know. She would gladly, willingly share anything and everything with Touko. But as of right then, with her entire afternoon spent going through her past memories and reliving her breakup with _her..._ Yumi just wasn't sure what to share. She didn't know what to talk about. Onoga? Sagara? Neither of the two were all that important now. Nothing had really started with them yet, either.

She just knew one thing for sure.

"I hate her, Touko." Yumi whispered into her phone. That was the most pressing thought on her mind. That was the thing she wanted to get off her chest most. She grasped the device tightly in her hand, and wisely used her other hand to push the noodles off her lap and onto her nightstand. "I hate her so much." She didn't know if Touko understood who Yumi was talking about. But, from her silence as Yumi sucked in a deep breath, she probably had a good idea. "I hate her- I hate her for what she did to me! I hate her for leaving me! I hate her for never contacting me! I hate her for- for-" She stuttered, too angry to think of anything to add.

"Onee-sama..." Touko started softly.

"I hate her, Touko!" Yumi yelled into the phone, her tone rising in pitch. She knew that Touko had done nothing to deserve being yelled at, and that none of this was her fault, but now that she started, she couldn't easily stop. "I fucking hate her! I hate her so Goddamn much! I hope she is happy! Wherever she is, I hope she is happy knowing she made my life a living Hell!" She felt her tone fade as she said the last thought that came into her head. "I hate her… for loving me. I… wish that she never made me her soeur."

"Onee-sama, please-" Touko said, her tone becoming worried. "You don't mean that."

"I do! I wish she and I never met!" As Yumi screamed into the phone, she suddenly felt a wave of dizziness wash over her. "I-" She started to speak again, but stopped, swallowing against a suddenly dry throat. She really hated her. She left Yumi along for years. No phone calls… no emails… no nothing. The only way Yumi ever found out anything about her was from third-party information from either Touko or Kashiwagi… The Ogasawara heiress had all but abandoned Yumi and left to England. And Yumi hated her for it.

"I hate her so much, Touko…" Yumi whispered into her phone's mouthpiece.

There was silence on the line for a long time. "I know, Onee-sama." Touko finally said, quietly.

Suddenly, a sob escaped Yumi's lips. She held her hand up to her mouth, while her other hand pressed her phone tightly against her ear. She gave another sob, and felt the tears that had threatened to build up while she was reading earlier finally begin to slide down her cheeks. She cried into the phone for a long time, not saying anything. Touko remained silent on her end as well; she knew enough to give her grande soeur time to let her feelings out.

After a few long minutes of quiet sobbing into the phone, Yumi sucked in a shaky breath. She hiccupped, and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand. "Touko?" She asked.

"Yes?" Came the reply.

"I miss her so much…"

"…I know, Onee-sama."

0 – 0 – 0

**UPDATED: 1/16/14 - Second update: Spelling, spacing, and a couple sentences here and there (11,492 words)**

A/N: Phew! This was a difficult chapter to get out. Not only did I get in Yumi's visit to Kimigura-sensei, but I also had to fit in part of Yumi's past with Sachiko. (Don't worry, that's not all of Yumi's past issues with dealing with Sachiko's breakup). I think it turned out well, but something still bothers me about it... not sure what, but hey. What can ya do?

I wanna point something out, because I am sure there are a few people scratching their heads. Yumi's diary was written _during_ her treatment process with Doctor Kimigura, and is written in past tense. That means that it is a younger Yumi (college-aged and treatment) writing about an _even younger_ Yumi (post breakup and her life up to the present). If it sounds a little confusing, don't worry about it. Think of the diary entry as a flashback. Additionally, because I don't particularly like flashbacks, I will be handling snippets of Yumi's past and post-breakup life via diary entries. (I.E. **_From the diary of Yumi Fukuzawa: Entry 1... 3... 5..._** you get the idea) It's my version of flashbacks. Lets see how you all like them.

Anyway... I think that's it... If there is anything else I can think of, I'll add it in a later update.

Peace!


	5. Interlude 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Maria-sama Ga Miteru. I only own this little piece of non-canon drama. For what its worth.

Hey guys! Thanks to deepseachinky, Coot, Eanil, enemy32, and insomniac1970 for your reviews! You are wicked-sick yo. And thanks to all those of you who Favorited/followed the story! I totally love the fact that peeps beside me actually dig this story.

I should point this out- this is an interlude; a kind of mid-chapter if you will. This bit takes place between chapter 4 and 5, essentially. Because of that, it is slightly shorter than most and as a result published fairly quickly. The regular chapters will be longer, but the interludes will be shorter. The interludes will take place fairly regularly, and will concentrate on the side characters in order to flesh out the story... and because some plot points need to be handled from other points of view. You'll see.

And, just to nip it in the bud, these interludes take place DURING chapter 4. So, while Yumi is in her therapy session in Chapter 4, these snippets take place. If that's not obvious, it should be now.

Off we go!

**The Princess and the Sparrow**

**Interlude 1**

0 – 0 – 0

**Interlude: Touko**

Touko Matsudaira drove out of the parking lot of Emi Kimigura's office, taking one last look at Yumi Fukuzawa as she rounded a corner. Touko knew the older woman would be fine; that she didn't have to worry. But, she couldn't help it; it was in her blood to worry about Yumi. It had long ago been ingrained into her heart to care about her Onee-sama. So, as the sight of the older, brown-haired woman disappeared from view, Touko felt a small pang of unease settle in on her. She shook off the feeling and concentrated on the road in front of her.

She would see her again soon. It would be fine. Just fine.

Trying her best to console herself that her Onee-sama was a grown woman and could take care of herself, Touko glanced at her dashboard clock. It was still before eleven, plenty of time to make it to her tea/luncheon with Aya Kotomine. The two women had agreed to meet at eleven-thirty so she had a full thirty minutes and change before the arranged meeting time. But, knowing the energetic twenty-five year old the way Touko did, she was likely to be there a full half-an-hour early.

Touko smirked and gripped her steering wheel tightly, the soft leather creaking under the pressure. If she hurried, she could still make it there before her petite soeur. God forbid if she was later than her own petite soeur!

Unluckily, when Touko entered the café at ten minutes past eleven, her hoped were crushed when she was greeted by an excited, familiar wail.

"Onee-sama!"

Touko turned towards the voice just in time to catch a brown-haired blur as it came crashing into her. She deftly stepped to the side, letting her arms take most of the weight and narrowly avoiding being pushed to the ground. She shook her head as the woman in her arms squealed happily; when was the girl _ever_ going to grow out of running hugs?

"Gokigenyou, Aya." Touko said, pushing the younger women back to both her feet and stepping back to greet her petite soeur properly. The girl righted herself and grinned happily up at Touko.

"Gokigenyou, Onee-sama!" Aya said, her eyes matching her elated expression. Her light brown hair was brushed, neatly parted down the middle and pulled into a single ponytail at the nape of her neck. Her eyes, just barely a different color than Touko's own Onee-sama, were covered by wide, thick-rimmed glasses (the girl had quite a high prescription- though she often wore contacts). Her coat had been shed and she wore a loose-necked sand-colored sweater, with a light pink blouse under it. Touko raised an eyebrow when she noticed the younger woman wore a red skirt and white leggings, but chose to overlook it simply because not two days ago she, too, wore a skirt to see Yumi. Sometimes, a girl just had to dress to impress. "Come on, I ordered for us!" She grabbed Touko by the arm and all but dragged her back to the table she had been seated at. Touko noticed that Aya had already set up her portable computer, complete with peripheral mouse. From the fact that she had already set up her kit, but not received the tea or food yet, Touko assumed Aya had not arrived more than five minutes ago. Touko set her jaw tightly as she sat down and put her bag on the seat next to her. She silently promised that she would force herself to arrive ten minutes earlier next time.

Aya sat down across from Touko and pushed her computer to the side, clearly intent on focusing on her Onee-sama rather than the computer. That was good; Touko would have to be very cross with the younger girl if she spent their entire teatime working… or even worse, playing video games like she often did.

"So, what did you order for us?" Touko asked.

Aya beamed and picked up the menu card from the table. She slid it over so Touko could read it and pointed to a couple different items on the front of the card. "I got green milk tea, some sesame cookies, and two ham and parmesan cheese sandwiches. They looked really yummy!" She enthused. Touko smiled and nodded. They seemed to be good choices, from what she could see.

"That sounds lovely. Thank you, Aya." The woman, if at all possible, grinned more widely and giggled.

"Sure, sure!" She said, putting her hand behind her head in an embarrassed gesture. "It's what I am here for!" Her eyes flicked over to her computer's screen, and then just as quickly returned to Touko. Aya's look didn't go unnoticed, and Touko leaned forward, her hands resting under her chin.

"What are you working on?" She asked evenly. Aya blinked and looked even more embarrassed.

"Aiya…" She said. 'Aiya' was a Chinese word she had picked up from her time studying the language in college. Not having an exact meaning or direct translation, the closest Touko (as well as everyone else) guessed it to mean was something along the lines of saying 'oops'. The fact that the word also sounded the same as her name was a humorous coincidence. "Sorry, Onee-sama…" She apologized, as least having the sense to look _somewhat_ apologetic. "I was in the middle of working a new code and…" She trailed off, shrugging. She then reached over and closed the laptop. "I'll stop, I promise."

Touko nodded, satisfied. "Good. I did not come all the way here and leave Onee-sama on her own today just to watch you work."

Aya blushed and giggled again. After a moment, her eyes widened and she leaned forward. "Yumi-nee-sama?" She asked. Touko nodded. "Ah! I haven't seen Yumi-nee-sama since New Years! How is she? What is she doing? When can I see her again? I want to show her a new video game I got! We should meet for lunch sometime! Why didn't she some today? I miss her _so_ much!" Her voice came out rushed and more than a little jumbled. Touko glared softly at the younger woman. Honestly, she _knew_ she taught Aya better than that. The brown-haired woman blinked again and grinned lopsidedly. "Sorry, Onee-sama…" She said. She suddenly looked over Touko's shoulder and smiled. "Ah, our order is ready. I'll be right back." With that, she got up and walked over to the counter.

Touko watched her petire soeur approach the counter, grab their food and drinks, and bring it back to their table. Nodding her thanks to the younger woman as she placed a sandwich and cup of tea in front of her, she waited until Aya was seated again before speaking. "I just came here from dropping Onee-sama off at Kimigura-sensei's office." She explained.

Aya formed her lips into an 'Oh' and nodded in understanding. "I see. In that case, I feel bad about dragging you away from Yumi-nee-sama…" She sounded sincere. Touko shook her head and picked up her teacup, taking a sip and sighing appreciatively at the taste. Green tea with milk. There was likely some honey in it as well. She would have to tell Onee-sama about this later.

"I was just joking, Aya." She said, putting the cup back on the table. "You and I planned this lunch last week. Onee-sama told me she was going to see Kimigura-sensei last night. In this case, you take priority."

Aya blinked rapidly, her glasses sliding a little down the bridge of her nose with the action. She pushed them back up to her eyes. "Now that I think about it, isn't it a little too soon her her to go see Kimigura-sensei?" She asked, confused. Touko shrugged, picking up a cookie and peering at it.

"She said she had some things to talk to Kimigura-sensei about. She wouldn't tell me what."

"Oh…" Aya picked up her sandwich and daintily took a bite. She thoughtfully chewed the sandwich and, a few moments later, swallowed. "I hope she is alright."

"Mmm." Touko nodded and popped the seasame cookie into her mouth. "Anyway," She said after crunching the morsel and swallowing it. "How have you been?"

Their lunch was delicious, the conversation was lively (mostly led by Aya and her enthusiastic chattering), and Touko found herself smiling throughout most of the meeting with her petite soeur. They were both older, wiser, and busier people ever since their years in Lillian and university. But, they were still the same people that had become soeurs together. They were still the same Touko Matsudaira and Aya Kotomine. They always would be, no matter how old they became. No matter what happened to them, they would always be friends… sisters.

After their conversation and lunch had both run itself dry, Aya told Touko that she had an afternoon full of coding to catch up on. Touko understood, of course. After all, she had a busy afternoon ahead of her as well. It wasn't anything near as fun as working, of course. She had a dinner to prepare for.

As Aya left, Touko shuddered. She would have much rather spent the afternoon coding a program (she didn't even know how to…) than spend a few hours at another boring, stuffy family business dinner. The so-called 'business/family dinners' after all, always seemed to consist of people not strictly in the family and were often used to build professional relations. She knew they were important, obviously… but she just didn't see why it was necessary for her to always attend. On more than one occasion, after all, her parents and acquaintances had introduced young men to her in hopes she would take a liking to someone of prestige.

For all the good it would do them.

Touko sighed and sat back in her chair. She looked down at her wristwatch and, seeing that she still have free time until she was due home, reached into her bag. She felt around for a moment until finding her target.

Touko pulled out a small book from her bag. The book was light, clearly not having many pages, and new. It was now, after all. She had just bought the book the previous day when she visited the mall. Touko examined the cover for a moment. It was colorfully painted and had large, clear letting on the front. From the design of it, the book was obviously a children's book. The title, 'The Saddest Shoes in the World', was clearly printed on the top. Underneath was a very artistic rendition of a fat little boy, wearing a pair of bright blue sneakers. Touko eyed the picture for a few moments, the art style tickling in the back of her memory. She didn't know why, but somehow the style was reminiscent to something she had seen before. As a child, maybe. She had read lots of children's books before when she was younger, and had a good collection stored away for the future. If she even had children (unlikely), they would probably inherit the collection.

Touko tore her eyes away from the cover picture and looked down at the author of the book. At the bottom of the cover, printed just as clearly as the title at the top was-

_Written and illustrated by: Maya Sagara_

Touko opened the book and began to read. The story was cute, the pictures were very colorful and impressive. Overall, it was a very good piece of work. As she got to the end, she turned to the last page in the book and began to read the author's introduction.

_Maya Sagara was born in Kyoto, and always had an interest in art. As a child, she read many different books and loved fantasy. She loved stories about princesses, magic, and folklore. Now a writer, she liked to combine art with fantasy into her stories, hoping that other children will find it just as interesting as she did._

A good, simple introduction. One that most children would understand. Touko pursed her lips and looked at the author's picture. A fairly attractive woman of twenty-eight years, her long, black hair shone brightly as it fell down her shoulders. Her sharp, intelligent, dark blue eyes smiled back at the reader. Her smile, thin but friendly, was very approachable, but with a hint of standoffishness.

All of these features, Touko recognized at once.

Setting her jaw tightly in place, she put the book back into her back and took a few minutes to think. After what seemed to her like hours, she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. She scrolled through her contacts and, finding who she wanted to telephone, pressed the call toggle and put the phone to her ear. After three rings, the other side picked up.

"Well, hello there, Touko." Came the calm, steady voice of Suguru Kashiwagi. "To what to I owe the honor of your rare call?" There was a hint of his old sardonic humor in his voice. Touko smiled softly and tilted her head against the phone.

"You mean it's not enough just to hear your voice, Nii-san?" She asked tartly. It _was_ good to hear his voice, actually.

"Well, you seem to call me so rarely, sometimes I wonder." Suguru said airily. "With you calling so infrequently, I am all but completely out of the loop with how things are on your end." Touko knew what the older man meant by her end. Touko's life, Yumi's life… everyone in the old crew from high school. Yumi and Touko were practically the man's only way of knowing how everyone was doing, now that Sachiko had been gone from the group for nearly a decade.

"Sorry, Nii-san." Touko apologized, and meant it. "I'll try and do better. I just have so much on my place recently…"

"I know, Touko. I am just giving you a hard time." Suguru said jokingly. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Are you free now?" Touko asked, suddenly conscious that she may have interrupted her cousin while was her busy. It was Sunday, but knowing how much the older man did professionally and privately, it was completely likely that he was having some sort of business lunch… or something along those lines.

"I am free enough." The man said amicably. "Are you alright?" Touko cursed inwardly. She hadn't realized her tone could give anything away… but Suguru was sharp like that.

"Well… _I_ am alright." Touko said carefully. She didn't really want to involve Suguru in this. But, the older man was better at dealing with things like this better than she was. When Yumi was concerned, that is. "It's actually about Onee-sama…"

0 – 0 – 0

**Interlude: Maya**

From out of the blissful haze of sleep, the catchy, synthesized voice of Miku Hatsune sounded from the mobile phone somewhere beside Maya Sagara's head. Upon hearing her bright, cheery ringtone she reached her hand out and sluggishly felt around for said device. Her eyes still being closed, it should have been somewhat difficult to locate her phone. But because she habitually put it in the same place (on her dresser to the left of her bed) every night, she felt out her phone easily and cracked open one sleepy eye to see who was calling.

"Oh no…" She mumbled. Out of all the people calling her, and at eight thirty in the morning, this was one person she really did _not_ want to talk with. But, as she was well aware, if she ignored the call, he would simply call again. There was nothing for it. Clearing her throat as best as she could, she rolled over on one side and put her phone to her ear. "Hello. This is Maya Saraga."

"Ah! Good morning, Sagara-sensei!" Came the overly-friendly voice of Souichi Gonda. Maya grimaced at the voice. Not that she disliked Souichi as a person, of course. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful to generally everyone. She was just firmly under the impression that no one should be so energetic in the morning.

On a Sunday.

"Good morning, Gonda-san." Maya replied, stifling a yawn. "What do- uh… to what do I owe the pleasure of your wake-up call?" She stumbled a bit with her words. Thinking first thing in the morning just wasn't her thing, after all. The slightly older man knew this, and chuckled good-naturedly.

"Did I wake you up, Sagara-sensei?"

"If I say yes, will you hang up and let me go back to sleep?"

Souichi chuckled again. "I'm afraid not." He said.

Maya groaned tiredly, if only to prove to the man that she had indeed been woken up by his call. "I was up late working last night." She explained. If she gave the impression that she had been working instead of goofing off, then perhaps she could placate him enough to leave her alone and go back to sleep.

"Oh?" The other sounded interested, or so it seemed from his tone. "Does that mean our little pep-talk on Friday had some effect on you?"

Maya exhaled; a long, slow breath out of her nose. She had been called into a 'business meeting' on Friday afternoon by Souichi Gonda for the only purpose of asking about the progress of her new book. She could understand why he wanted to have a face-to-face with her, so it hadn't really bothered her. In fact, it had been quite a long time since the release of her last book, so she could wholeheartedly understand why her publishing company was beginning to get antsy. After all, she had almost nothing to show for the last six months of downtime. In the professional world, that was almost a lifetime. But really, _two_ separate meetings during the same week? There had been one on Tuesday, and another one on that Friday. If her publishers wanted some progress out of her, they should at least stop pressuring her so much.

"More or less." Maya sighed. It was a half-truth, anyway. After all, it hadn't been the meeting that had an effect on her. It was what had happened right before the meeting with Souichi.

"Ah. Good!" He enthused, pressing on cheerily. "Then you wouldn't be adverse to coming in today and showing me what you came up with?"

What.

"Huh?" Maya finally opened her eyes, and stared at her wall. Her bed was in the corner of the room, so from where she was laying, she could get a great view of her off-white wall just a few inches away from her face. "What did you say?"

If Souichi was humored at all by Maya's response, he kept it hidden well. "I said that if you were able to produce something," He patiently reiterated. "I would very much like it if you could come in and show me."

"Today." Maya repeated steadily. The sleepiness was all but gone from her voice. "Today is Sunday." Wait, today _was_ Sunday! "Why are you even working today?"

She could practically hear Souichi shrug. "Sagara-sensei, I am in charge of your contract with us, as well as numerous others. I work on Sundays in order to get caught up with everyone before Monday." He sighed deeply. "It is why I am still unmarried..."

In spite of herself, Maya had to laugh at that. If it wasn't for Souichi's enthusiasm and early morning energy, she would have almost found him endearing. "I didn't know you were such a hard worker." She observed truthfully. "You had better make sure you don't overwork yourself."

"Now, now, Sagara-sensei, overworking yourself is Japanese tradition." Souichi said, his tone light and friendly. He suddenly became more serious. "But, honestly, I would like it if you could show me what you came up with. The higher-ups-"

"I know..." Maya sighed, bringing her hand up to pinch the bridge of her nose. "You told me on Friday. And on Tuesday. And the week before that. And the week before that."

"So you'll come in?"

"Alright." It wasn't as though Maya had anything better to do today, anyway. "What time should I come in?" Soiuchi was silent for a few moments. Most likely, Maya assumed, checking with any other scheduled tasks to complete today.

"How does eleven sound to you?"

"Sounds fantastic." Maya said, not able to keep the mild sarcasm out of her tone. "Though, I really should warn you... don't get your hopes up. I just started to get something on paper Friday night. It's nothing final. Barely an idea, even."

"Anything at all is better than nothing at all, Sagara-sensei." Souichi soothed. "I'll see you in a couple hours."

"Bye." Maya said and keyed off her phone. Slowly, maybe even a bit theatrically, she waved her arm around and tossed her phone away. She couldn't see where it landed (she was still staring at the wall), but from the sound it made when it landed, it likely hit the carpet safely. That was a plus, at least. A single plus in the long equation of minuses of her day. Or negatives. Or whatever. "Great." She sighed and rolled herself over, facing the rest of her bedroom.

Maya's bedroom was fairly small. It was small, but from the layout of the furniture and the spacing of the door to the window on an adjacent wall, it seemed slightly larger than it really was. In one corner was the bed; a twin size. Small, but useful enough for her. At the end of her bed and lodged in the other corner of the room was a fairly large wardrobe; larger than what should be necessary in a room this size. But, considering Maya had been brought up to have some sort of taste in clothing (compliments of her mother), the large wardrobe filled with assorted clothing was a given. On the opposite side of the room was a desk with a laptop, a swivel computer chair, a rubbish bin placed beside the desk, and a laundry basket on the other side of the desk.

Again, not a very large room, but large enough to fit everything needed comfortably enough.

Finally realizing that going back to sleep was not really an option, Maya pushed herself up and stretched her arms over her head in a comfortable yawn. After pulling herself out of bed, she padded over to her wardrobe. She opened the door and was greeted by her own reflection in the full-length mirror on the inside of the wardrobe door. Her hair was slightly mussed from sleep, her eyes seemed a bit bloodshot… most likely from the lack of complete rest she had gotten over the past two nights.

She reached up and put her hands against her cheeks, tugging at them slightly with her thumb and index fingers. She stood there for a few moments, and then sighed wistfully. Every day it seemed as though she was getting older and older. Every day it seemed as like there was something missing. Every day… she wished she knew if she was doing what she _should_ be doing. She took another close look at her face in the mirror. There was no way she could go outside like this. Luckily, a generous application of choice make-up should be able to take care of this particular issue. She would have to take a quick shower to be able to have time to get her ready and make it to the publishing office by eleven.

Picking out on outfit before showering, casual but still acceptable to be seen as professional, only took a few moments. She decided on a light blue, long-sleeved blouse and a pair of black slacks. She picked out some undergarments as well, and lay out the articles of clothing across her bed. Nodding to herself, she made her way to the door to the main room of her apartment and opened it.

Suddenly, as the main room came into view from the doorway, Maya remembered what she had been working on almost nonstop since Friday night.

Scattered all over the apartment's main room, as well as the attached kitchen and dining room combination, was a seemingly innumerable amount of papers, used paint (still mostly in their containers), and small canvases. The paper, consisting of random scribbles and assorted written lines of text, was strewn around the couch and the coffee table. Maya had spent hour after hour since Friday sprawled on her couch, notebook in hand writing and sketching anything and everything had come to mind. When her pencil had stopped moving, she had pulled herself up to her small easel in the corner of the room and begun to paint. She didn't really know what she was painting; she simply painted anything that came to mind.

Maya hadn't actively written, drawn, or painted anything for three months. And the fact that she had just suddenly picked up and started again so suddenly hadn't got unnoticed to her. If she were to go ahead with what Souichi had said, she could agree that it was in part to the 'pep-talk' he gave her on Friday… which had consisted of mainly guilt tripping Maya about her not producing anything for the company past six months. But she was acutely aware that Souichi and his pressuring was not why she suddenly started working again.

The real reason was because of her chance meeting on Friday afternoon, right before she had her meeting. She had planned on stopping off for a few minutes and getting a coffee. After that, she would leisurely make her way to her publishing office to meet with Souichi. However, completely surprising Maya, she had instead met Yumi Fukuzawa.

Shaking her head free of any remaining cobwebs that sleep brought on, Maya turned away from the mess that was her apartment and entered the bathroom, its door right beside her bedroom door.

After a long, refreshing shower (Maya realized that it had been her first one since Friday morning), she sat herself down in front of the bathroom mirror and began to blow-dry her hair, the first step of many in making herself presentable to the outside world. From the bags under her eyes, her somewhat pale complexion brought on by lack of sleep the past two days, and the still tired look on her face, it looked like she had her work cut out for her.

Luckily, Maya thought bemusedly as she rummaged through her makeup bag on the bathroom counter for the right foundation for her skin tone, her mother was a very good teacher. As a teenager, her mother had drilled lesson after lesson into her about makeup, clothing, and taking care of oneself as a lady. The woman's motto growing up was "A woman's clothing was just as important to her as her own personal features", and while she never took everything her mother said to heart, she did agree with it to some extent. She _was_ a lady, after all. Not only that, but her mother was one of the most beautiful and hard-working women she could ever hope to meet. That had to count for something.

As her mother's words replayed in her head, Maya suddenly had a flash from her memory. Herself, telling that very motto to Yumi Fukuzawa not two days ago. She smiled at the thought. The entire meeting with Yumi had been an embarrassing circumstance to Maya; she had stumbled into her and spilled her whole coffee all over the woman's clothes, after all. That, most assuredly, did not make for a good first impression.

However, after most of the embarrassment wore off, and Yumi's initial mistaking Maya for someone else had been sorted out (that had been odd, considering Maya had never really been mistaken for someone else before), she had found the young architect extremely approachable and easy to talk to. Maya didn't really know why, but something about Yumi made it very easy for Maya to talk to her. That didn't really happen very often, as she was generally thought of by her colleagues and old classmates as soft-spoken and fairly quiet. Nevertheless, her meeting with Yumi had brought out a friendliness in Maya that she herself hadn't noticed in quite a long time.

She had found the woman so friendly and approachable that Maya had even sent her a message later that night. She wanted to try her luck to make friends with the brown-haired woman. She was just too interesting to pass up as a one-time meeting.

It had been Yumi's approachability, and her highly expressive face, that caused Maya to start working again. All through her meeting that very afternoon after meeting the brown-haired woman, she had thought about that face. Those eyes, how they formed so many different expressions during their very short meeting. Surprise, shock, confusion, anger, frustration, shame, relief, laughter, interest… all those Yumi had shone Maya during their barely twenty-minute meeting in that small café. It had been so interesting, so _artistic_, that right after she got back home, she started sketching again. She didn't know what she was sketching, or why, but something about meeting Yumi Fukuzawa, and witnessing her face made Maya was to draw.

Not only draw, though. Maya also picked up a pen and started writing out words. These words didn't really make any sense; such words like _brown_… _sky_… _cage_… _new_ _and old_… These words were pretty random and couldn't easily be grouped together… but it was a start. She could work with these. As she drew and drew into the night, as she wrote and wrote all day on Saturday, as she painted and painted all evening and night until she could barely stand… all Maya could think about was brown eyes, different expression and feelings, and how they could be put down and made into art.

It was tiring… but Maya had not felt so good in months. It was fulfilling.

Inspecting herself in the mirror one last time to view the fruits of her efforts, she nodded in satisfaction. Good, she looked like a person again. Standing up and exiting the bathroom, she went into her bedroom and starting slipping on the clothes she laid out earlier. Only after getting dressed did she laugh to herself. It was so cold outside, that she would likely wear her coat anyway. So, essentially, it didn't really matter what she was wearing.

Oh well, it was the principal of the thing. _She _knew what clothes she was wearing.

Maya leaned over and picked up a leather folding briefcase from beside her desk. After making sure it was empty she re-entered the main room and began to pick up pieces of paper that were scattered around. She was looking for something, _anything_ she could use to placate Souichi and, vicariously, the publishing company. They wanted results, and she had to produce them. So far, however, she didn't have anything besides random scribbles and drawings of eyes, hair, skylines and… strangely enough, a castle. A very badly drawn castle… but a castle nonetheless.

Stuffing the better drawn and more intelligent of her notes into her briefcase, she set the bag down by the front door and stepped into her high-heeled winter shoes. She peered at her wristwatch. Seeing that she still had time to stop somewhere and eat before the meeting with Souichi, she smiled and picked up her purse and briefcase. A coffee and breakfast pastry sounded _excellent_.

Considering the fact that Maya didn't own a car, and instead chose to rely on public transportation, she was often surprised that she was rarely late for anything. This was yet again proven as she walked into the front lobby of her publishing company five minutes before eleven. Perfect timing. She dropped her emptied paper cup of coffee into the recycle bin by the door and approached the front desk.

"Good morning, Maya-san." Greeted the receptionist, a neutral expression on the woman's face. Apparently, observed Maya, she wasn't any happier at having to come in on Sunday than Maya was. "Gonda-san is expecting you. You can go ahead up."

"Thank you." Maya replied, bowing her head slightly as she walked past the desk. She reached the elevators a few moments later and she pressed the call button. One of the two elevator doors opened at once, and Maya stepped in, keying for the fifth floor as the doors closed behind her. The trip up four floors took only a short minute, and once the doors opened again, she walked out into the hallway adjoining the elevators. Another minute of walking found her in front of Souichi Honda's office. She knocked on the door.

"Come on in, Sagara-sensei!" Came the friendly voice of Souichi from behind the door. Maya opened the door and entered the room to find Souichi typing away at his desktop computer, his face a study in concentration. "I'll just be…" He said slowly. "Another minute."

"Sure." Maya said, walking over to the chair placed in front of the man's desk. "It's not like I have anything _better_ to do today, anyway." That got a chuckle from the man behind the desk, but his typing didn't let up. After a short couple of minutes, Souichi sighed and sat back, putting his hands on the armrests of his chair.

"Sorry about that." He said, smiling. "Time waits for no one, you know."

Maya nodded and pulled her briefcase into her lap. "Yes, well, let's get this over with, shall we?" She opened the case and pulled out the assortment of papers and notes she had, not two hours ago, so haphazardly stuffed into it. As she began to sort them out on his desk, Souichi snorted lightly.

"Why am I not surprised?" He said, shaking his head. He then shrugged. "But you can't argue with results. Your last two pieces were particularly profitable."

Maya ignored him and, finishing taking out all the notes she brought with her, sat back. "There we are. Everything good I came up with since Friday."

Souichi leaned forward and peered down over the notes and drawings, inspecting them carefully. Humorous and seemingly nonchalant as he came off to be, Maya had to admit that the man had a good eye for ideas. It had been he that helped her promote her previous ideas to the higher-ups in the company, after all. Maya trusted Souichi's judgment. "When you said not to expect much, you weren't kidding." He deadpanned.

Maya snorted airily, a simple exhale through her nose. "I just started on Friday night."

The other picked up a piece of notebook paper, and then put it back in place of another. He examined it for a few minutes, and then put it down, sighing. "Well, it's something, anyway." He said. "At least I can tell the higher-ups on Monday that you haven't been wasting time these past six months."

Maya grimaced. She knew Souichi was looking out for her, but the way he said those words were essentially his way of scolding her. "I know…" She said dejectedly. "I have just been in a slump."

"So why did you suddenly start now?" The man asked conversationally, leaning back in his chair again. "These are," He waved his hand towards Maya's papers. "all barely the start to an idea. But even I know when you have inspiration."

Maya looked up at Souichi sharply. "What do you mean?" She asked.

He shrugged again. "Sagara-sensei, you may have been with us for only a couple of years, and only have two published books… children's books, at that… but I know your work." He explained. "I can tell when you have inspiration as opposed to working because you have to. That's why I shut down those other ideas you came up with before." Maya pursed her lips and looked away, turning her attention to the cabinet alongside the far end of the office. Souichi continued while she pouted. "You are a good artist, Sagara-sensei. You are talented. I just want you to know that."

"Thank you."

"Do you have any firm ideas for plot? Characters? Setting?" The other asked, leaning forward again to leaf through the noted strewn across the desk.

"No… I have nothing for vague ideas and sketches." Maya sighed. She turned her attention back to Souichi. A vague feeling caused her to reach into her coat pocket and fingered her phone. Something tickled in the back of her head, and she suddenly had a flash of… _something_. "But I think I'll be able to come up with something soon." She said thoughtfully.

Souichi eyed Maya for a long moment, and then smiled widely. "Excellent. I can take what you have now to the uppers tomorrow."

Maya made a move to get out of the chair. "So I'm free to go?" She asked.

"Sure, sure…" The man said, chuckling again. "You can go back to sleep if you like. Just be sure to come up with _more_ than just vague thoughts and eyes, alright?"

Maya smirked and got out of the chair, picking up her suitcase and making sure her purse was safely secured at her elbow. "I'll see what I can do." She said and, bowing lower than she usually did, turned toward the doorway. As she reached for the doorknob, she stopped. She suddenly… and quite unexpectedly… had a flash of insight. "I just thought of a title." She said, turning her head back towards Souichi. He sat up straight, blinking rapidly.

"Oh? Great! What is it?"

"The Princess and the Sparrow." Maya said, more to herself than to the man.

Souichi tilted his head and sucked in a breath between his teeth, a short whistling sound coming out of his mouth as he digested the name. After a few moments, he shrugged and nodded. "Well, it's a start."

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**Interlude: Yoshino**

Yoshino looked up from her book, shivering slightly as an uncomfortable, yet somehow familiar feeling assaulted her. Over the years she occasionally had weird or inexplicable feelings; usually when minding her own business or doing something mundane like eating or watching television. They never really happened close together, either. They always seemed to happen maybe every other week...every other month... seemingly random times. Not only that, but she could never really remember having them before high school.

Odd, that.

She glanced at her hand, turning it slightly so she could make out the time on her wristwatch. Just before eleven. Yet another weird factor. There was never any set time that these odd sensations occurred either. It was either at totally acceptable times, or when she had been sleeping comfortably, dreaming about eating a really big bowl of chocolate pudding.

"Huh." She said aloud, more to herself than anyone else Or, that would have been the case, if Rei hadn't been in the room as well, working her way through a new curriculum she was in the process (a long process, too) of updating.

"Huh?" Rei repeated from her seat on the couch. Yoshino looked up to meet he somewhat confused expression.

"I just got another one of those weird feelings." Yoshino explained, reaching up to scratch the back of her head. When they happened, she usually told Rei about them. Neither woman could come up with any sort of explanation as to the origin of Yoshino's strange feelings, but it still felt good to have someone to talk to about them.

Rei opened her mouth and 'ahhed' in understanding. "Another one? When was the last one? After New Years?"

"Yea."

"What did you say they felt like again?"

Yoshino put down her book and pursed her lips in thought. A while ago, she had read a book about Asian folk legends and stories. In one of then, she had found a really good metaphor for how she felt when these odd feelings happened. "Like when Sun Wukong was being crushed by the mountain sent from the Buddha. He tried and tried, but he knew that he could not get away from the wrath of a more powerful entity than he." She shrugged helplessly. Paraphrasing or not, that was a pretty curtailed version of the story. Not that she could really understand it, anyway. 'The Journey West' was a very old, very complicated story. "Kinda like when you piss off some kind of powerful force… and it will definitely get back at you..."

"Huh."

"Yea. Weird, huh?"

"Mmm."

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**UPDATED: 1/19/14 - Initial update: (6,803 words)**

A/N: I love Aya. Just wanted to point that out. She is my favorite OC in this fic.

Waaa Suguru will be coming into the story! Cool! Muahaha how will that end up? And that other OC, Souichi? What's his deal? You'll see. =.= Just don't get overexcited, 'kay? Not that anybody will... heh.

Was anyone else totally happy how they fit in the Sun Wukong reference in the "In search of you" light novel? I freaked out so much, I just had to add another one. For those of you who complete blanked on that reference, Sun Wukong is the name of The Monkey King in Chinese folklore (or for the more contemporary of you... Son Goku from Dragonball). He was first written about in the Chinese epic, 'The Journey West', and the story portrayed Sun Wukong travelling with his master in search of enlightenment. Its a complicated story... right up there with the Three Kingdoms epic. If anybody in insterested in it (unlikely) feel free to ask me more about it.

Peace out, y'all!


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